Will China overthrow the existing liberal world order or become part of it?

The time has come for a changed approach to both China's rise and the crisis in liberal world order. Focus must now be on conventions rather than convictions and on shared interests and concerns. Both China and the existing principal states of the liberal world order share an interest in a stable world order, and China certainly has an interest in a more harmonious society.

For the time being it is important to recognize that China's inner transformation has contributed to reshaping the global order and that now the liberal world order has to adjust itself to the opportunities and constraints brought about by China's rise.

Effecting positive change necessitates a deep understanding of the causes of change and existing constraints, the West must understand that once China started its “ride on the tiger”, it was doomed either to “hold on and stay the course, or to fall off”! The latter is not in the interest of the West.