China's Foreign Relations

About the Book

Poised to become the dominant Asia-Pacific power, China yet remains an elusive international player. In this text, Denny Roy shows how the drive for security and power underlying Chinese foreign policy is reinforced by other important factors, including China's internal policy struggles and unique, historically driven perceptions of international affairs. Providing a wide-ranging assessment of China's foreign policy, the author explores the PRC's relationship with key international organizations and countries, including the United States, Japan, Russia, Korea, India and the Southeast Asian states. Roy also examines the broad implications of Beijing's outward orientation: its increasing economic interdependence with foreign consumers and suppliers, its struggle to cope with the challenge of globalization, and the People's Liberation Army's aspiration to build China into a world-class military power. The author concludes by analyzing the possibility of a "China threat" to the Asia-Pacific region and identifying key issues that will influence the future direction of Chinese foreign policy.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 A Historical Overview of Chinese Foreign Relations
Chapter 3 The View from Beijing
Chapter 4 The Structure and Process of Foreign Policy-Making
Chapter 5 China and the World Economy
Chapter 6 Defending the PRC
Chapter 7 China and Global Politics
Chapter 8 Regional Relationships
Chapter 9 The Future of China's Foreign Relations
Chapter 10 Chinese Foreign Policy and International Relations Theory

About the Author :
Denny Roy is a research fellow in the Strategic and Defense Studies Centre, the Australian National University, Canberra.

Review :
In this book, Denny Roy offers an approach that may be called 'the political science of international relations (IR) with a focus on China'. Roy does not make commitment, though, as to which level of analysis is the most appropriate in determining Chinese foreign policy behaviour. This, I would suggest, is one of Roy's strengths. His analysis is historically sensitive and solidly grounded in fact. As a political analyst he has a gift for making insightful observations and writes with flair. In this thoroughly researched chapter [Chapter 8], Roy best shows his ability to draw upon both IR and China studies... Written for a broad audience, the work nevertheless captures the complexities of Chinese foreign policy and its interplay with its domestic political development. It provides a simplified rather than simple structure to view the choices that the Chinese leadership have made, are making, and will make, as China becomes a truly great power with an accompanying role in international affairs.

In this book, Denny Roy offers an approach that may be called 'the political science of international relations (IR) with a focus on China'.
Roy does not make commitment, though, as to which level of analysis is the most appropriate in determining Chinese foreign policy behaviour. This, I would suggest, is one of Roy's strengths.
His analysis is historically sensitive and solidly grounded in fact. As a political analyst he has a gift for making insightful observations and writes with flair. In this thoroughly researched chapter [Chapter 8], Roy best shows his ability to draw upon both IR and China studies.