The prospect of a new, rapidly rising China poses both opportunities and challenges for regional community building in Asia Pacific. While China’s robust economic performance of recent years is contributing to a more dynamic and stronger regional economy in Asia, at the same time, it presents a threat to other countries in the region. In the political and security arena, China’s economic development could lead to a reduction of the tensions between developed and developing countries; yet, Asia Pacific countries are concerned about the possibility of China becoming a dominant power with growing political influence and rapidly expanding military capabilities.
The fact that China’s phenomenal rise has occurred under conditions of political and social uncertainty has led to ambivalent reactions from countries in a region that is still struggling to establish a viable arrangement for regional governance for the sake of economic development and political and security stability. For its part, China is disturbed by what it regards as irresponsible analyses of its future course, and by the seeming unwillingness of some to welcome it to joint efforts to build a stable regional order.
In this book, 16 intellectual leaders from the region present their perspectives on China’s development. Integrative chapters by senior international relations experts examine China’s changing role in Asia, China’s impact on regional community building, and the cultural implications for the region of the rise of China. Chinese authors analyze the domestic dynamics related to the country’s political and economic development as well as its external economic and political-security relationships. Contributors from Japan, South Korea, member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN), and Australia/New Zealand discuss topics ranging from the growing political influence of China in the region to its influence on regional security and the implications of China’s continuing economic growth.
The Rise of China and a Changing East Asia Order research project was conducted as part of the Asia Pacific Agenda Project (APAP).
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Contents
Foreword
Integrative Papers on the Rise of China
- 1. China’s Changing Role in Asia
- Wang Jisi, Director, Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Science
- 2. Globalizing China: The Challenges and the Opportunites
- Ryosei Kokubun, Director, Center for Area Studies, Keio University
- 3. China and Asia Pacific Regionalism
- Jusuf Wanandi, Co-founder and Member of the Board of Trustees, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Jakarta
- 4. The Rise of China and Emergent East Asian Regionalism
- Chia Siow Yue, Senior Research Fellow, Singapore Institute of International Affairs
- 5. The Cultural Implication of the Rise of China on the Region
- Wang Gungwu, Director, East Asian Institute, Singapore
Chinese Perspectives
- 6. Political Developments in the Rise of China
- Yang Guangbin, Professor, School of International Studies, Renmin University
- 7. A Sustainable Chinese Economy?
- Men Honghua, Associate Professor, Institute for International Strategic Studies, Central Party School; Research Fellow, Center for Chinese Studies, Tsinghua University
- 8. China’s Foreign Trade Policy after WTO Accession
- Wang Rongjun, Research Fellow and Deputy Chief, Department of Economic Studies, Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Science
- 9. The Shaping of China’s Foreign Policy
- Ni Feng, Associate Researcher, Deputy Director, U.S. Politics Department, Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Science
Perspectives from Other Asia Pacific Nations
- 10. Japan’s Political Response to the Rise of China
- Akio Takahara, Professor, Department of Politics, Rikkyo University
- 11. The Impact of China’s Rise on Sino-Japanese Economic Relations
- Hideo Ohashi, Professor, Department of Economics, Senshu University
- 12. The Rise of China and Korea’s China Policy
- Lee Geun, Assistant Professor, School of International and Area Studies, Seoul National University
- 13. The Rise of China’s Economy: Opportunities and Threats to China-Korea Economic Relations
- Jwa Sung-hee, President, Korea Economic Research Institute, and Yoon Yong, Research Associate, Korea Economic Research Institute; Ph.D. Candidate, Seoul National University
- 14. ASEAN and the Rise of China: Engaging, While Fearing, an Emerging Regional Power
- Noel M. Morada, Executive Director, Institute for Strategic and Development Studies, Philippines
- 15. China’s Economic Rise and the Responses of ASEAN
- Mari Pangestu, Director, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta
- 16. Reactions in Australia and New Zealand to a Rising China
- Greg Austin, Visiting Senior Research Fellow, European Institute for Asian Studies, Brussels; Visiting Fellow, Contemporary China Centre, Australian National University
