Routledge China's Foreign Policy since 1949: Continuity and Change (Routledge Contemporary China Series)

This book provides a systematic and comprehensive analysis and overview of China’s foreign policy since 1949. It starts with constructing an analytical framework for explaining Chinese foreign policy and then, on the basis of that, outlines and analyzes developments in different areas of foreign policy – such as security policy, international economic policy and policy toward multilateralism – and foreign policy toward different areas of the world – such as the United States, East Asia, Europe and developing countries. The book also examines decision-making in Chinese foreign policy, discusses issues of current concern, including maritime disputes, Xi Jinping’s more assertive approach to foreign policy, the One Belt One Road initiative and the trade war with the United States. The book concludes with a comparative analysis of the three phases of China’s foreign policy since 1949 and provides a brief assessment of how China’s foreign policy is likely to develop going forward. Review Professor Kevin G. Cai’s cogent, systematic and theoretically well grounded assessment of driving forces and salient features of Chinese foreign relations over the past 70 years goes beyond the headlines to assist audiences all over the world seeking deeper understanding of the historical roots and recent determinants of China’s rise. History matters and Cai’s well written volume illustrates twists and turns involved in China’s overall tortuous quest for evolving international ambitions. Robert Sutter, Professor of Practice of International Affairs, George Washington University Kevin G. Cai’s China’s Foreign Policy since 1949: Continuity and Change is a timely and valuable contribution at a critical juncture of relations between the country and the outside world. Especially valuable are Cai’s illuminations of the process of foreign policy making in China, the evolution of its national security strategy, and Beijing’s exercise of its multi-dimensional power to advance and expand its global interests. Students and analysts of contemporary China will benefit immensely from Cai’s insights and knowledge. Minxin Pei, Claremont McKenna College Understanding the origins, content and future of China's foreign policy has never been more important. In this important book, Kevin G. Cai provides us with not just the conceptual building blocks, but also the substantive content to allow us to understand China's relations with the world as they unfold over the next decades. It serves as an invaluable tool for scholars, students and policy-makers alike. Margaret M. Pearson, Dr. Horace V. and Wilma E. Harrison Distinguished Professor, University of Maryland About the Author Kevin G Cai is an Associate Professor at Renison University College of the University of Waterloo, Canada