LONDON, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's peaceful rise can continue for a very very long time, said professor Odd Arne Westad with the Department of International History, the London School of Economics and Political Science, who is better known as author of Restless Empire: China and the World Since 1750.
"I am an optimist in terms of China's interaction with the rest of the world," he said during an interview with Xinhua.
"Country's rise with its economic strength, and well-being of its citizens is not a challenge to anyone. It is a good thing for the world community in general," he said.
In his book, Westad traced China's foreign affairs over the past 250 years, identifying the forces that determined the country's path.
Westad noted that such conclusion was drawn based on China's deep historical tradition. "If you think further back in history, China would emphasize on different kinds of economic, trade interaction with other country more than military power," he said.
"So when China's risen to a super power status, which I think will take in a global sense quite a long time, I would not be surprised if that is what China going to emphasize."
Such peaceful rise will depend on other countries, the professor added. "It will depend on the United States accepting a much bigger role for China in east Asia," he said. "It will depend on Japan being willing to work with China and not against it."
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