China's global engagement: cooperation, competition, and influence in the 21st century

Abstract

China's global engagement is the outcome of the annual conference of the Center for the Study of Contemporary China at the University of Pennsylvania, and is the third such volume, all edited by Jacques deLisle and Avery Goldstein. Like the previous books, the current volume includes contributions from an impressive group of scholars, working on Chinese political science and law. While recent years have seen a wealth of books dealing with China's rise in international affairs, the chapters here provide original research on a unique set of topics, making for a valuable addition to the literature. The theme of the book, stated in the subtitle, is cooperation, competition and influence, which allows for a broad range of topics. Chapters deal with trade and investment; energy; geopolitics and strategy; the global monetary system; military intervention; and cinema, among others. At the centre of the book is the tension between domestic and external pressures facing a rising China, and how its transition from a regionally to a globally engaged actor is having wide-ranging effects across the country's domestic and international affairs.