MACMILLAN China’s Grand Strategy: Contradictory Foreign Policy?

This book describes the main contradictions in China’s actions on the world stage―peaceful vs. assertive―through a culturally informed framework that takes into account China’s historical memory and political culture. The author analyzes nine cases, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), as examples that show both China’s commitment to peace and development in the region, as well as its concerted effort to introduce alternative institutions on the global stage that could challenge the hegemony of the West and Western values. Review “China’s Grand Strategy is a reliable source for scholars and possibly laymen to understand the foreign policy decisions and future directions of China.” (Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs, Vol. 7 (1), 2020) Review “With China’s amazing rise, the question of China’s grand strategy has preoccupied many minds. Based on an understanding of ancient as well as contemporary history, Professor Lukas Danner argues that China indeed has a grand strategy that is organized by the pursuit not of power but ‘honor.’ Its preferred means to achieve its historically accustomed position of preeminent honor is ‘peaceful development.’ Yet it is prepared, under specific circumstances that Danner carefully explicates, to diverge from that path to the employment of more ‘assertive’ tactics. An enlightening text for graduate or undergraduate students or for any intelligent lay reader.” (Lowell Dittmer, Professor of Political Science & Editor, Asian Survey, University of California, Berkeley, USA) “China’s Grand Strategy is a timely and valuable addition to an increasingly critical body of literature … Danner’s scholarship offers a welcomed and much needed balance that can both appreciate the nuances of China’s multifaceted policy trajectories, and provide an alternative analytical framework to transcend the otherwise often self-fulfilling prophecy of the Thucydides trap.” (Brett McCormick, Associate Professor, University of New Haven, USA) “In his innovative, culturally based study of China’s foreign policy, Lukas Danner ... convincingly unpacks the ‘black box’ of Chinese foreign policy for Asian specialists, policymakers, and the interested public alike. Highly recommended for everyone who wishes to understand the international strategy of America’s chief rival.” (Joel S. Fetzer, Frank R. Seaver Professor of Social Science, Pepperdine University, USA) From the Back Cover This book describes the main contradictions in China’s actions on the world stage―peaceful vs. assertive―through a culturally informed framework that takes into account China’s historical memory and political culture. The author analyzes nine cases, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), as examples that show both China’s commitment to peace and development in the region, as well as its concerted effort to introduce alternative institutions on the global stage that could challenge the hegemony of the West and Western values. Lukas K. Danner is Research Associate and Lecturer at Florida International University, USA.   About the Author Lukas K. Danner is Research Associate and Lecturer at Florida International University, USA.