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China''s rise to world superpower is seemingly a modern phenomenon, but it has a long history. This book follows China''s geopolitical transformation on the world stage, from struggling to defend herself against the British in the Opium Wars, to rivalling the United States for supremacy. What started as a response to Europe''s colonial influence has gradually become China''s quest to take the leading role on the word stage. But how did this happen? And why did it take so long? The answer to these questions lie in how China has shaped, and been shaped by, its changing relationships with major world powers over the last two centuries. Arguing that a series of military defeats in the Opium Wars, Boxer Crisis and Japanese occupation led to a deep-rooted national sense of geopolitical vulnerability, van der Putten shows how this imbalance of power has resulted in Chinese distrust and uncertainty, even after it ceased to be prey to imperialist powers. Tracing China''s foreign relations over the last 180 years, China Resurrected shows how they have influenced the way in which China itself is becoming a leading power, and what this means for modern diplomacy, understanding and stability.
About the author
Frans-Paul van der Putten is Senior Research Associate at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague, Netherlands, and Associate China Expert at the Leiden Asia Centre, Netherlands. The founder of ChinaGeopolitics, a research and consulting firm, he was previously Head of the China Centre at the Clingendael Institute, and chief editor of the Journal of Global and Imperial Interactions.
Report
China Resurrected stands as an insightful and compelling contribution to both political science and modern Chinese history. More importantly, it will enrich scholarly debate on the meaning of China's resurgence in global affairs. Asian Studies Review 20260209
