China has historically lived in a rough neighborhood.4 It occupies a uniquely vulnerable chunk of territory at the nexus of Eurasia and the Pacific that enmeshes it in five complex subregions: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and Oceania. The upside of this central location is influence; China is, almost by default, a major player in world politics. The downside is omnidirectional exposure to foreign instability and pressure.
See “Prisoners of Geography”
