← China Studies syllabus

SingaporeChina Studies

China and the World

8 dot points across 8 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How does China manage relations with its neighbours, and why is its region so wary of its rise?

Examine China's relations with its Asian neighbourhood and evaluate why the region both engages with and hedges against China
A focused answer to the H2 China Studies dot point on the neighbourhood. Economic centrality versus security anxiety, the South China Sea, ASEAN and hedging, and how the region balances opportunity and risk.
11 min answer →

Does a rising China want to overturn the international order, reform it, or work within it?

Evaluate whether China seeks to overturn, reform or uphold the existing international order
A focused answer to the H2 China Studies dot point on the global order. Revisionist versus status-quo readings, where China benefits from and challenges the order, the alternative institutions it builds, and a balanced verdict.
11 min answer →

Why has China invested so heavily in soft power, and why does it struggle to win hearts and minds?

Examine China's pursuit of soft power and evaluate why its global image remains contested despite its efforts
A focused answer to the H2 China Studies dot point on soft power. Confucius Institutes and media expansion, the appeal of the China model, why authoritarianism and assertiveness limit soft power, and the gap between effort and results.
11 min answer →

Why is Taiwan the most dangerous issue in Chinese foreign policy, and why has it remained unresolved?

Analyse the Taiwan question in Chinese policy and evaluate why it remains unresolved and so dangerous
A focused answer to the H2 China Studies dot point on Taiwan. The one-China principle, why Taiwan is a core interest, the US role and strategic ambiguity, the changing balance, and why it is so dangerous.
11 min answer →

What does the Belt and Road Initiative reveal about China's global ambitions, and is it benign development or strategic power?

Analyse the aims and effects of the Belt and Road Initiative and evaluate whether it is benign development or strategic expansion
A focused answer to the H2 China Studies dot point on the Belt and Road. Its scale and aims, the economic and strategic motives, the debt and influence debate, and how to weigh development against power.
11 min answer →

How has China's foreign policy evolved from Deng's caution to a more assertive posture?

Trace the evolution of Chinese foreign policy since 1978 and evaluate the shift from 'hide and bide' to greater assertiveness
A focused answer to the H2 China Studies dot point on foreign policy. Deng's 'hide and bide', the priority of development, the more assertive turn under Xi Jinping, and what drives the change.
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Is China's rise really peaceful, and why does its own narrative generate tension?

Examine China's narrative of a peaceful rise and evaluate the tensions between that narrative and its conduct
A focused answer to the H2 China Studies dot point on the peaceful rise. The 'peaceful development' narrative, why it was crafted, the gap between rhetoric and assertive conduct, and how others perceive the rise.
11 min answer →

Why has the US-China relationship moved from engagement to rivalry, and how dangerous is it?

Analyse the evolution of US-China relations and evaluate the causes and dangers of their growing strategic rivalry
A focused answer to the H2 China Studies dot point on US-China relations. From rapprochement and engagement to strategic competition, the trade and technology conflict, the Thucydides trap debate, and the risks.
11 min answer →