For many years, China has been the beneficiary of the international system dominated by the United States. Unlike the former Soviet Union, China has by and large abided by that system and has not challenged it.

Coming together [By Zhai Haijun/China.org.cn]

But with the growth of China's power and influence economically, politically and militarily, some Western analysts are beginning to see China as challenging that international order.

In a National Interest article "The Real China Challenge: Beijing's Blueprint for Asia Revealed," Nick Bisley, executive director of La Trobe Asia and professor of International Relations at La Trobe University, Australia, cites the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) which was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping a year ago in Jakarta and signed on by 21 countries, as a challenge to existing international institutions that support development infrastructure such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. As a result of U.S. discouragement, Japan, South Korea and Australia have not joined the project.

That is reading too much into the proposal. President Xi made it clear that the bank will cooperate with (not replace) existing multilateral development banks, to make use of their respective advantages and jointly promote the sustained and stable growth of the Asian economy.

Still, the United States is uncomfortable, fearing that the bank will give China another platform to advance its interests. Bisley claims that China is trying to create a regional international environment that is more conducive to its interests.

Bisley argues that China is no longer content to operate within an international milieu that it feels has been organized by others to reflect their values and interests. So it is trying to change that order into one with which it is more comfortable.