China has a long history of fomenting a swell of anxiety among its neighbors throughthe action of unilateralism. As an assertive nation, it tries not only to control territoryand the behavior of other states but also to exercise more influence over theorganization and management of the world economy. An assertive China is contributingmassively in developing military power, especially aerospace power, laying claims oninternational waters, island territories and air space over South China Sea (SCS) andEast China Sea (ECS). China’s foreign policy believes in keenly calculated self-interest,at the cost of the international institutions, standards and obligations. The resultinglack of clarity about ‘what China is’, creates an impression in the minds of outsidersto conceptualize the country’s actions as signs of increasing assertiveness. The majorthrust of the paper is to explore the main driving forces that lie behind the history ofan assertive China. Besides, it makes an objective assessment of China’s pattern ofbehavior in recent decades by identifying and examining its potential assertiveness in various fleld.