Chandos Publishing Yunnan- A Chinese Bridgehead to Asia: A Case Study of China's Political and Economic Relations with Its Neighbours (Chandos Asian Studies Series)

The Chinese Governments five-year strategy for social and economic development to 2015 includes the aim of making the southwestern province of Yunnan a bridgehead for opening the country to southeast Asia and south Asia. Yunnan - A Chinese Bridgehead to Asia traces the dynamic process which has led to this policy goal, a process through which Yunnan is being repositioned from a southwestern periphery of the People s Republic of China to a bridgehead between China and its regional neighbours. It shows how this has been expressed in ideas and policy frameworks, involvement in regional institutions, infrastructure development, and changing trade and investment flows, from the 1980s to the present. Detailing the wider context of the changes in Chinas global interactions, especially in Asia, the book uses Yunnan's case to demonstrate the extent of provincial agency in global interactions in reform-era China, and provides new insights into both China s relationships with its Asian neighbours and the increasingly important economic engagement between developing countries. Key Features: offers a new perspective on Yunnan; contains historical depth: understanding the background and developments over time means that this China watching book will not date quickly; takes a provincial view of Chinas international relations; takes a provincial view of Chinas international relations. Contents: Introduction: Why Yunnan? China in a changing world; Yunnan s history in regional perspective; Repositioning Yunnan: Ideas and policy; Yunnan and regional institutions; Infrastructure development; From border trade to going out ; Conclusion.