China's rise: a threat?

Comments on James Laurenceson and Hannah Bretherton "What Australians really think about a rising China", 27 May 2015

While China is likely to be more assertive as it becomes more powerful, it is highly unlikely to be a threat to the international order, as it is not in its interest to do so.

The main reason lies in that it has more to lose than to gain if it is to become a threat. The US and it’s extensive and powerful allies will remain a powerful check to any single country for a very long time to come, no matter how powerful any other single country may reasonably be expected to be.

This, however, does not necessarily apply to the case where a country unreasonably threats China.