China's motives and aims in Asia: Are they narrow or wide-ranging? Do they conflict with, or complement, the status quo? Should we judge China primarily according to its words or its actions in Asia?

When examining China's aims in Asia it is important to look first and foremost at the balance of power in the region. Although the US is the undisputed global hegemon, in East Asia, at least, this is not the case. As Robert Ross notes, "East Asia is bipolar because China is not a rising power but an established regional power. The United States is not a regional hegemon, but shares with China great power status in the balance of power47." This balance comes from the two countries' primacy in different spheres; namely maritime and land-based East Asia. There is also a third sphere, however, which is often overlooked by Western scholars and which has its own balance of power, centred on Russia - Central Asia, to the west of the Chinese hinterland.