Chinese Foreign Policy: Theory and Practice

Studies on Contemporary China

by Thomas W. Robinson (editor), David Shambaugh (Editor)

What decision making process is used by the People's Republic of China in forming its foreign policy? Has this process changed at all in recent years, and what can the world expect in their relations with China after Deng Xiaoping? This work offers and unprecedented survey of China's foreign relations since 1949. The contributors include leading historians, economists, and political scientists in the field of Chinese studies, as well as noteworthy international relations specialists. Beginning with an analysis of the historical, perceptual, economic, and political sources of Chinese foreign policy, the work reviews China's desire to ensure its own security and regain freedom of initiative in its foreign relations. The work then reviews the international sources of China's foreign relations, such as strategic systems and scientific imperatives, as the country searches for a redefined role in the multipolar world order. By taking a useful interdisciplinary approach, this book
greatly contributes to our understanding of China's modern role in international relations.

Genres: China

660 pages, Paperback

First published June 23, 1994

Reviews

[May Ling]

I was surprised to see this one with such low marks. This is one of the great first books on Chinese foreign policy. It should be read in context with other books that show the difference between Chinese foreign policy (of the period) and the US view on what Chinese Foreign policy is.

[Liquidlasagna]

This is, perhaps, the best single text on Chinese foreign policy that I have read. The editors are to be congratulated on the conception and execution of this volume ... the strength of this volume is its comprehensiveness. There is barely an aspect of China's foreign policy-making that is
not considered in some depth ... this is a volume which is not only a lollipop for the specialist (I had fun jhust reading the footnotes), but also demands to be in paperback for teaching purposes.

Paul Wingrove, University of Greenwich, International Affairs