China's World: What Does China Want? by Kerry Brown. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"The Chinese have looked at all these power transitions. There have been 12 major global power transitions in history－five were relatively peaceful, but seven were not," says Brown.

The academic does not believe Thucydides properly characterizes the current situation.

"There's a spectrum. At one end there is China as a threat, which I think is a caricature of Chinese power, and at the other end there is China as a sort of pussycat that is going to love everyone. And then there is space in the middle, which is where the reality lies."

Brown says, however, that Xi Jinping has reshaped Chinese foreign policy over the past five years, with major initiatives such as the Belt and Road and high-profile international engagement, which has seen him visit more than 50 countries.

"In the 2000s, the Americans and others all said that China should be more of a stakeholder," he says.

"Since 2012, Xi Jinping has made this specific demand that there needs to a proactive emphasis on foreign policy, and that is what has happened. China has been much more vociferous because it feels as the world's second-largest economy it should be. You can't hide an elephant. It is just too big."

Brown says China's new high profile is becoming evident around the world.

"In all the 20 countries I visited last year the most common thing that I saw was the Huawei (Chinese telecoms giant) logo. I saw it at Rome airport going into the city and in Brazil, Canada, Greece and the Philippines. It is another way in which China is becoming much more visible than ever before," he says.

Brown is set to publish two further books this year, The World According to Xi: Everything You Need to Know About the New China and China's Dreaming, which will look at the culture of the Communist Party of China.

Brown believes Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, which was enshrined in the country's Constitution at a meeting of the National People's Congress on March 11, is a very real and important concept.

"It is a vision of historic progress. It is not abstract, it is not fanciful, it is real. People can feel it and see it in not just the economy but also in China's status in the world," he says.

Contact the writer at andrewmoody@chinadaily.com.cn