China Resurrected

Chinas rise to world superpower is seemingly a modern phenomenon, but it has a long history. This book follows Chinas geopolitical transformation on the world stage, from struggling to defend herself against the British in the Opium Wars, to rivalling the United States for supremacy. What started as a response to Europes colonial influence has gradually become Chinas quest to take the leading role on the word stage. But how did this happen? And why did it take so long? The answer to these questions lie in how China has shaped, and been shaped by, its changing relationships with major world powers over the last two centuries. Arguing that a series of military defeats in the Opium Wars, Boxer Crisis and Japanese occupation led to a deep-rooted national sense of geopolitical vulnerability, van der Putten shows how this imbalance of power has resulted in Chinese distrust and uncertainty, even after it ceased to be prey to imperialist powers. Tracing Chinas foreign relations over the last 180 years, China Resurrected shows how they have influenced the way in which China itself is becoming a leading power, and what this means for modern diplomacy, understanding and stability.