Foreign Relations of the PRC: The Legacies and Constraints of China's International Politics Since 1949

Now in a fully updated edition, this cogent but comprehensive book examines the international relations of the People’s Republic of China since its founding in 1949. Noted scholar Robert G. Sutter provides a balanced assessment of the country’s recent successes and advances as well as the important legacies and constraints that hamper it, especially in nearby Asia—long the focus of China’s foreign policy attention. Sutter demonstrates how Beijing has carefully created an image of a China that follows consistent policies based on morally correct principles, but its record shows repeated episodes of sometime surprising change and frequent use of violence, intimidation, and coercion. China’s leaders, he argues, still fail to manage the desire for productive foreign relations with their aspirations to build Chinese security and sovereignty interests. Image-building efforts condition Chinese public and elite opinion to be extraordinarily sensitive, self-righteous, and often alarmist in dealing with the many disputes China has with its Asian neighbors and the United States. Advances that the PRC has made in other parts of the world focus mainly on commercial interests, limiting its actual impact on world affairs. Sutter shows readers how to use China’s rise in nearby Asia as a reliable barometer of how important and effective the country will actually become internationally.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Assessing China’s Role in World AffairsMao’s Changing Course in Foreign Affairs, 1949–69Maneuvering between the United States and USSR, 1969–89Chinese Foreign Relations after the Cold WarPatterns in Decision Making and International OutlookChina’s Changing Importance in World AffairsRelations with the United StatesRelations with Neighboring Asian CountriesRelations beyond Nearby AsiaOutlookChronology Glossary of Key Terms Selected Bibliography

About the Author :
Robert G. Sutter was an analyst of Asian and Pacific affairs and American foreign policy for the U.S. government for thirty years. He is now professor of practice of international affairs, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University.

Review :
A refreshing tour de force of the PRC’s foreign relations over the past seven decades. Meticulously researched and masterfully composed, Robert Sutter’s balanced treatise on China’s engagement of the world explains how the legacies and aspirations define Chinese foreign policy ambitions. Thoroughly revised and expanded, this updated edition provides both the preliminary assessment of Xi Jinping’s first term in power and an insightful analysis of the difficult challenges that Beijing will have to face and overcome in the coming years in order to achieve preeminence in Asia and great-power stardom in the international system. Robert Sutter is one of America’s most knowledgeable and thoughtful observers of Chinese foreign policy. In this book, he offers a comprehensive and nuanced analysis of the multiple and complex historical, domestic, and international sources of Chinese foreign policy toward a wide range of countries and issue areas. In particular, Sutter offers a judicious and balanced analysis of the rise of China and of China’s challenge to international stability and US global leadership. He argues that despite increased Chinese economic and military capabilities, China’s diplomacy is beset by significant domestic and international problems that constrain its international influence. Foreign Relations of the PRC makes a timely and most valuable contribution to our understanding of the implications of rising China for world affairs and US security. Written by a distinguished academic with government experience in the practice of foreign policy, Robert Sutter's book provides a comprehensive overview of Chinese foreign policy since ‘liberation’ in 1949. Taking due account of China's more prominent international role since 2010 without getting bowled over, Sutter maintains a judiciously balanced view of China's future prospects. Highly recommended.