This article analyses China's strategic intentions and how these may ultimately project its violent or peaceful hegemonic rise. It maintains that, although it is difficult to define accurately China's future hegemonic role and general systemic behaviour, a “Third Hegemonic Way” or Dutch‐style hegemony is highly instructive in this context and, thus, should be examined and added to the existing debate on China's peaceful or violent rise as either a benevolent or potentially coercive hegemon. We argue that the Dutch‐style hegemony may be the most viable way for China to proceed in its global hegemonic ascendancy in a future world order.