China's International Roles

This collection examines changes in Chinas international role over the past century. Tracing the links between domestic and external expectations in the PRCs role conception and preferred engagement patterns in world politics, the work provides a systematic account of changes in Chinas role and the mechanisms of role taking. Individual chapters address the impact of Chinas history and identity on its bilateral role taking patterns with the United States, Japan, Africa, the Europe Union, and Socialist States as well as Chinas role in international institutions, the G-20, and East Asias Financial Order. Each of the empirical chapters is written to a common template exploring the role of historical self-identification, altercasting and domestic role contestation in shaping the PRCs role. The volume provides an analytically coherent framework evaluating whether cooperation or conflict in Chinas international engagement is likely to increase, and if so, the extent to which this will follow from incompatible domestic demands and external expectations. By combining a theoretical framework with strong comparative case studies, this volume contributes to the ongoing debate on Chinas rise and integration into the international society and provides sound conclusions about the prospects for a transition of Chinas purpose in world politics.