Harmony or Hegemony: The Quad Through the Lens of Chinese Strategic Culture

This chapter explores how China perceives the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue not merely as an evolving security framework, but as a challenge to the traditional Chinese worldview of hierarchical harmony, strategic autonomy, and multipolar order. Drawing from Chinese political philosophy and official narratives, the chapter argues that Beijing’s response to the Quad cannot be fully understood without situating it within China’s broader strategic culture, rooted in Confucian moral realism, Legalist statecraft, and the modern concept of “peaceful development.” The chapter examines how Chinese white papers, official statements, and think tank commentaries have framed the Quad over time, from dismissive references to “ocean froth” to more recent expressions of strategic concern. Ultimately, this chapter contends that the dynamic between the Quad and China is less about an arms race or military bloc formation, and more about competing visions for regional order. It offers a unique perspective by placing China’s strategic behaviour within a culturally coherent framework, revealing not a reactive nationalism, but a deliberate civilisational posture shaped by history, philosophy, and realpolitik.