Manchester University Press China’S Peaceful Rise: Perceptions, Policy and Misperceptions

China's rise to great-power status is one of the most significant issues of the twenty-first century. Will the People's Republic be able to complete this process peacefully? And what are the security, economic and governance implications for the rest of the world? The majority of scholars approach these questions from one of two perspectives: competitive security and power (realism) or complementary economic self-interest (liberalism). In this book, Christopher Herrick, Zheya Gai and Surain Subramaniam offer a constructivist alternative, arguing that China's prospects for achieving great-power status peacefully depend more on domestic and international perceptions of the country's rise - perceptions rooted in such factors as historical experience and national image. Early chapters explore the Chinese mindset and historical experience, as well as foreign attitudes to China and applicable international relations theory. The authors then proceed to look at three dimensions of Chinese policy - security, economics and governance - situating them within the context of China's relations with Asian neighbours (India, Japan and the states of Southeast Asia), existing international powers (the European Union, Russia and the United States) and emergent trading partners (Africa). At the heart of the book is an analysis of how increased economically beneficial trade with China affects historically based negative perceptions. Accessible enough for undergraduates but full of material that will challenge academics and policymakers,China's peaceful rise is essential reading for those with interests in Chinese foreign policy, East Asia and international relations.