Since the end of the Cold War, the new Chinese leadership generation has had to promulgate new guiding principles for handling global diplomacy which acknowledges China's new position. Given the dramatic changes in the international system and its domestic economic success for the growing 'China's rise' idea on the global stage, China in the 21st century faces a mixture of old and new challenges, including terrorism, hegemonism, and authoritarianism. While Deng Xiaooping combined Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy, into 'Taoist diplomacy' in response to the hostile international position after the Tiananmen Incident, China's foreign policy keeps changing, and the multidimensional diplomacy adopted by China can be seen as a consistent theme in Chinese foreign policy in the 21st century. Multidimensional Diplomacy of Contemporary China attempts to examine the origins, guiding principles and sequential outcomes of China's multidimensional diplomacy in the 21st century, working under the flag of 'peaceful development,' 'harmonious international order,' and 'global responsibility.' The contributions are grouped into three sections. The first discusses the theoretical foundations of multidimensional diplomacy. The second section turns the analytical focus to China's immediate neighbors in East Asia, and at last the book will go beyond the immediate neighborhood of China to the global community. These essays explore China's dealings with the countries of Africa, the Gulf, and the South Pacific and provide other in-depth analyses on China's foreign policy towards Pakistan, Russia, and Japan. This book seeks to significantly shape the knowledge and thinking about China's global interactions in the 21st century.

With the second-largest economy and rapidly growing military strength, China is now an emerging regional and global super power, which makes it confronted with a sudden increase in opportunities, pressures and conflicts in terms of international issues. This book gives a comprehensive and systematic introduction to the development of China’s diplomatic strategies since 1980s, which have been changed approximately every ten years to cope with the complicated and changing international situations. In 1980s, China took "non-alignment" to create a solid external environment for the reform and opening-up which had just been initiated. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, upheaval in Eastern Europe and the end of the Cold War in 1990s, China adopted the principle of "keeping a low profile and making some contributions", to adhere to the road of socialism while avoid making enemies. Nowadays, due to the continuous enhancement of national power and international status, China replaces "making some contributions" with "making positive actions", to get more actively involved in international affairs. This book will be a valuable reference for studies in China’s diplomacy and international relations. Readers interested in contemporary China will also be attracted by it.

China has created its own distinctive pathway to becoming one of the world's largest economies – and the country's economic and political development over the next decade will have profound implications for the rest of the world. Knowledge of contemporary China is therefore essential for anyone who seeks to understand politics, business and international affairs in the twenty-first century. Assuming no prior knowledge, this book presents an accessible and engaging introduction to all aspects of China. Following a scene-setting chapter on the making of modern-day China, the book moves on to examine the country's political and economic structures, its society and culture, and its changing place in the world. Looking to the future, the book also considers the demographic and political challenges which China now faces. Kerry Brown shows that there is a vibrant debate within the country about what China is, in what direction it might go and what sort of power it should become. The text is illustrated throughout with figures and tables, boxes focusing on key issues and an extensive guide to further reading and useful websites. This accessible and lively book is the ideal starting point for students and general readers who want to know more about this important country.

China's guiding principle for foreign relations and its focus on states and regions has shifted a lot from the first 30 years of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, to 1978 and beyond, after reform and opening-up. However, PRC's diplomatic practice has been continuous, whether it was participation in the Korean War, breaking up with the former Soviet Union after a honeymoon period, China's self defense war over Sino-Indian border, participation in the Vietnam War, breakthrough in the Sino-US relation, or PRC's self defense war over the Sino-Vietnamese border. These historical events brought the need for theoretical study in International Politics (IP). The development of China's IP research was slow and filled with complications, but it signified a breakthrough from scratch. This book has filled gap by depicting a complete scroll of China's IP research in over 60 years since 1949. This book has followed two principles: one is according to the classification of the IP discipline and the other is to recommend adaptations according to China's actual conditions.

This book presents a concise introduction to contemporary China. It is intended as a first book for those coming new to the subject, providing the essential information that most people need to know, without going into excessive detail. Its coverage includes the economy, society, politics and international relations; China's history, especially the twentieth century; and Taiwan and Hong Kong as well as the People's Republic of China. The book provides an up-to-date and clear guide to the often bewildering changes which have taken place in China in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. It draws on the enormous body of empirical and theoretical research that is being carried out by economists, political scientists and sociologists on contemporary China, but is itself written in non-technical and accessible language. It does not assume any previous knowledge of China and explanations of Chinese terms are provided throughout the book. It includes a map, a chronology, a glossary of Chinese terms, biographical notes on key figures, and a guide to further reading.

China’s role in global events today cannot be overestimated. This book provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of contemporary political developments in China. Key topics covered include: China's international relations with its neighbours and with the international community more widely; demographic developments; Taiwan; Macao and Hong Kong, Tibet, Uighurs; human rights, health issues (including bird flu); food contamination and defective goods; and a chronology of political developments, congresses and Central Committee sessions since May 2006; the earthquake of 12 May 2008 and the 2008 Olympic Games. The book continues - and adds to – the overview of developments up to May 2006 which were covered in the author’s China: A Guide to Economic and Political Developments (2006), and is the companion volume to Economic Developments in Contemporary China: A Guide (2010) - both published by Routledge.