Pax Sinica (
Latin for "
Chinese Peace") is the time of
peace in
East Asia, maintained by
Chinese hegemony, usually the period of rule by the
Han Dynasty,
Tang Dynasty, early
Song Dynasty,
Yuan Dynasty,
Ming Dynasty and early
Qing Dynasty. These periods were characterised by the dominance of the
Chinese civilization in
East Asia due to its
political,
economic,
military and
cultural power.
Other historical terms that start with
Pax, modelled on
Pax Romana, refer to a single time period but
Pax Sinica is an exception.
In the later imperial period, China became more inward looking rather than expansionist, only requiring tributary recognition for the most part from its smaller or less advanced neighbors. Chinese civilization expanded gradually from its ancient centers by a process of
sinification which assimilated diverse ethnic groups into the emerging
Han majority.
In
international relations theory since the 1990s, noting the increasing
power of the
People's Republic of China, some believe there will be a Pax Sinica in the twenty-first century, this is known as
China's peaceful rise. Others believe that the opposite will happen and that the rise of Chinese power will encourage conflict rather than peace, due to the authoritarian government of China, or that the increase of Chinese power will not be enough to bring Chinese
hegemony. Some have also theorized that China's increasing dependency on
oil will bring conflict with Western Industrialized countries, particularly the United States, over
Central Asian oil fields.
See also
Category:International relationsCategory:Paxes:Pax Sinicaru:Pax Sinicatr:Pax Sinica
