The People's Republic of China (PRC) is one of the primary economic, military and political forces in the international system. Because of this, it is increasingly recognized as a potential future legitimate world leader – a rising hegemon in the international system. To analyze the PRC as a rising hegemon, I use critical theory of international relations, which i use to measure the relationship between the use of forces of hegemony (material capabiliites, ideas and institutions) and the legitimacy (consensus) that the PRC recieves from other states. The methodological basis of the thesis lies in the study of four case countries (Serbia, Kenya, Peru and Pakistan). To analyze the case studies, I use qualitative methods of primary and secondary source analysis, hoop method, and dictionary method, as well as basic quantitative methods. The results show that the relationship between the forces of hegemony and recognized legitimacy is unbalanced and independent of the geographical factor. Institutions as a force of hegemony have proven to be the best indicator of legitimacy, while the most effective force of hegemony used to produce consensus is the force of material capabilities. I conclude that the methodology and results of the thesis show that the PRC is successful in creating hegemonic relations with other countries. I also assess that the results contextualize certain needs fof further development of critical theory and its methodology.
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