This two-volume set examines the process of rural integration in modern China. In short, this is how the state penetrates the countryside and transforms the rural population, thus consolidating the foundation of modern state governance. Drawing on contemporary examples of state integration while observing the background of traditional China, this book systematically examines the entire process of rural reconstruction of China over the course of the 100 years since the late Qing Dynasty. In addition, the book discusses the special characteristics of each period and current societal trends in the Chinese countryside. This volume explores the following aspects of contemporary state integration: economic, fiscal, cultural, social, lifestyle, and technological. The book will be an essential reading for scholars and students in Chinese Studies, Political Science, Rural Studies, and those who are interested in the rural reconstruction of China in general.

As the first volume of a two-volume set, this book systematically examines the process of rural reconstruction in China over the course of the twentieth century, taking into account politics, labour and resources, administration, and institutional integration. The nationalisation of rural China was a two-way and changing process. This volume attempts to clarify that state penetration of the countryside and the transformation of the rural population consolidated modern state governance by first providing an overview of the fundamental concepts necessary for understanding nationalisation, rural integration and the peasantry. Second, analysis of the unified allocation of land, products and labour resources and how they fundamentally integrated rural society into the state system is carried out. Third, the volume also explores the rural reforms that emerged in the late 1970s and their impact on the social development of rural China. Lastly, the process by which modern China implemented policies to organise a decentralised rural society and to strengthen the political trust of peasants is analysed. The book will be essential reading for scholars and students in Chinese Studies, Political Science, Rural Studies, and those who are interested in the rural reconstruction of China in general.

This book systematically constructs theories of clean energy diplomacy in the context of the changing international strategic landscape of energy and climate. It aims to explain the scientific connotations and innovative significance of clean energy diplomacy. The book focuses on analyzing how the development of renewable energy, including wind, solar, and biomass, plays out in the evolution of the international power system. It also touches upon energy efficiency and complementary energy technologies. This book integrates the studies of traditional energy and environmental diplomacy and defines its connotations and extensions from the perspective of major country diplomatic strategy. Based on the latest developments of international clean energy diplomacy, the author also discusses China's strategic option of clean energy diplomacy in the broad context of the profound changes in global energy and climate governance. As a new diplomatic model to enhance national competitive advantages, clean energy diplomacy has attracted the attention of many countries. This book will therefore be of great interest to students and scholars of sustainable energy and environmental management, environmental politics and policy, and those interested in the low-carbon economy in general.

Adopting perspectives from development economics and international relations, this book researches the ongoing cooperation between China and African countries and the interactive system of China’s aid, trade and investment to and with Africa. In reviewing the history and development of China-Africa relations from the founding of the People’s Republic to the new century, the book analyses the achievements, opportunities and challenges of the bilateral relationship and reflects on the public-private partnership model in the context of international development assistance. Coupled with experiences from the US, Japan and the EU in the field of foreign aid, trade and investment as well as case studies from China, the core chapters delve into China-Africa cooperation in terms of aid, trade and investment and proposes to build an interactive and coordinated mechanism of China’s aid, trade and investment in Africa. The author argues that China-Africa cooperation goes beyond reciprocal benefits, offering a possible model for South-South Cooperation and a potential model for balanced and sustainable development within the world economy. This book will appeal to researchers, students and policy makers interested in Chinese politics and foreign policy, African politics, international relations, international diplomacy and the world economy.

Based on the framework of geostrategic psychology, this book elucidates the intrinsic law of the rise and fall of great powers and gives insights into the quandary of China's rise and the mechanism behind the strategy. Conflating geopolitics and strategic psychology, geostrategic psychology is rooted in the historical study of strategy and premised on an assumption that human beings bear resemblance in psychology and behavior when facing the same structure of geopolitical circumstance. The book analyzes intriguing phenomena from strategic psychology, including trend anxiety and conflict willingness, the Old Man Phenomenon in international politics, the Santa Claus Effect, the Myth of the Sunk Cost Fallacy, Bidder Myth, Gambler's Game, Philip Trap, William's Dilemma, Heartland Myth, Domino's Fear, Golden Nation Myth, Alliance Commitment Dilemma and Corinthian Dilemma among others. The author combines theory, history and the practice of international politics, revealing how a nation can occupy a favorable position in the field of global strategic competition and prospects for China. The title will be a valuable reference for observers of international politics as well as researchers and students interested in international relations, international politics, geopolitics, strategic psychology and geostrategic psychology.

This book provides an overview of China’s distinctive community governance, examining its 2000-year history and describing its recent development under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The book presents new insights into community governance in China. It explores the historical genesis of community governance in imperial China, providing a link that helps to understand the relationship between ancient and modern community governance. By explaining the practical differences between “centralised governance” and “networked governance” in these contexts, it moves away from the myth of Tönniesian community and dissects the conceptual differences between Chinese and Western communities. This book is unique in its focus on the economic structure that underlies community governance and its identification of the root cause. It also investigates China’s “poli-community” and the relationship between the state, society, and the family. Finally, the book proposes a potential approach for transitioning from a binary opposition between the state and society to a new mechanism of “state-created society” and building “associated communities”. This volume will be a valuable reference for scholars and students of Chinese politics, public management, and sociology, as well as for practitioners of community governance.

In the last 30 years, China’s record economic growth lifted half a billion people out of poverty, with rapid urbanization providing abundant labor, cheap land, and good infrastructure. While China has avoided some of the common ills of urbanization, strains are showing as inefficient land development leads to urban sprawl and ghost towns, pollution threatens people’s health, and farmland and water resources are becoming scarce. With China’s urban population projected to rise to about one billion – or close to 70 percent of the country’s population – by 2030, China’s leaders are seeking a more coordinated urbanization process. Urban China is a joint research report by a team from the World Bank and the Development Research Center of China’s State Council which was established to address the challenges and opportunities of urbanization in China and to help China forge a new model of urbanization. The report takes as its point of departure the conviction that China's urbanization can become more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable. However, it stresses that achieving this vision will require strong support from both government and the markets for policy reforms in a number of area. The report proposes six main areas for reform: first, amending land management institutions to foster more efficient land use, denser cities, modernized agriculture, and more equitable wealth distribution; second, adjusting the hukou household registration system to increase labor mobility and provide urban migrant workers equal access to a common standard of public services; third, placing urban finances on a more sustainable footing while fostering financial discipline among local governments; fourth, improving urban planning to enhance connectivity and encourage scale and agglomeration economies; fifth, reducing environmental pressures through more efficient resource management; and sixth, improving governance at the local level.