The Ashgate Research Companion to Chinese Foreign Policy (Rethinking Asia and International Relations) - Hardcover

Emilian Kavalski is Associate Professor of Global Studies at the Institute for Social Justice, Australian Catholic University (Sydney). He is currently working on (i) the encounter of International Relations with life in the Anthropocene, especially the conceptualization of and engagement with non-human actors; and (ii) the nascent Asian normative orders and the ways in which they confront, compliment, and transform established traditions, norms, and institutions. Emilian contends that in both these areas the application of Complexity Thinking has important implications for the way global life is approached, explained, and understood. At the same time, these research foci sketch a prolegomenon to the conceptual contexts of theory-building and policy-making intent on facilitating economic, social, and environmental interactions that promote the well-being of people in ways that are just, equitable, and sustainable.

'The world now finds itself at the cusp of momentous transformation effected most importantly by the accelerated rise of China. This timely book tracks China's expanding global agenda, while noting the irony of its increasing preoccupation at home. It offers an accessible and cogent synopsis of key issues, but also raises critical questions about China's foreign policy.' Yong Deng, U.S. Naval Academy, USA 'This wide-ranging collection of essays on Chinese foreign policy, written by the experts in the field from both inside and outside China, makes an important contribution to the current literature. This book deserves a careful reading by all scholars and policy makers interested in Chinese foreign policy. It also offers an important, comprehensive, and essential reading for graduate and undergraduate courses in Chinese foreign policy.' Sujian Guo, San Francisco State University Center for U.S.-China Policy Studies, USA 'This is an ambitious study of China's foreign relations that brings together a collection of talented scholars, many with a Chinese heritage, who offer refreshingly different but informed perspectives into critical and sometimes original aspects of China's external interactions. This book helps to address some important gaps in the understanding of how China views and interprets the world.' Tai Ming Cheung, University of California San Diego, USA 'While this book is one of a series of substantial scholarly works devoted to different aspects of contemporary world affairs, it is the only one so far to study the policies of a single country. The editor's introduction puts the crucial questions in this regard: do we in the west actually know what China's view of the world is? And can she, with a quite different historical perspective, be expected to act in international affairs in the same way as a great western power would do?... The future of the world may turn on the answers to the questions posed in this important book, which may be recommended not only to western university students but to the makers of western foreign policy.' Reference Reviews 'The Ashgate Research Companion to Chinese Foreign Policy provides a timely contribution to a growing and very topical body of literature on China's international relations. In over 30 chapters written by a diverse range of contributors, the volume provides one of the most comprehensive overviews of Chinese foreign policy to have recently been published. ... This work seems especially valuable as an introduction to this vast field of studies.' Political Studies Review 'This voluminous companion provides a comprehensive overview of Chinese foreign policy and thereby helps to better understand both China's rise and the possible future trajectories of its international interactions. Emilian Kavalski and his contributors do a fine job introducing an interesting spectrum of topics, issues and relationships that define China's external affairs. ... this volume constitutes an excellent introduction to a variety of key foreign policy areas of contemporary China that deserve our attention. This is because, as Kavalski notes, regardless of whether China develops a cooperative or conflictual foreign policy stance, it will nevertheless have an important bearing on the patterns and practices of world politics. Beijing's external outlook is therefore bound to attract further public, policy and scholarly scrutiny and this volume helps to encourage these endeavours.' Europe-Asia Studies