Awakening to China's Rise: European Foreign and Security Policies toward the People's Republic of China

Awakening to China's Rise provides a comprehensive analysis of how Europe's major powers have responded to China's re-emergence as a great power since the end of the Cold War. It challenges the assumption that European foreign policies have been driven by economic opportunities and highlights the growing assertiveness of China after 2009, which has led to the hardening of policy goals and the formulation of new policy instruments to confront China's rise. The book relies on a large body of primary sources, including interviews, archival documents, leaked US diplomatic cables, and new data on European naval deployments.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 23 August 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Awakening to China's Rise is a comprehensive analysis of how Europe's major powers have responded to China's re-emergence as a great power in world politics since the end of the Cold War. The book offers a unique cross-regional comparison of how France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have confronted Chinese assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Firstly, it delves into their response to China's increasingly muscular regional posture in the Asia-Pacific through the development of diplomatic and security initiatives with partners in the region. This includes measures such as the establishment of the European Union's Asia-Pacific Strategy and the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Secondly, the book examines how they have confronted China's inroads into Europe, looking at the measures taken to tackle Chinese investments in, and supply of, technologies in strategic sectors such as critical national infrastructures, dual-use technologies, and in the digital domain, including Huawei's 5G networks.

A longstanding assumption in the IR literature has been that European foreign policies toward the People's Republic of China have been driven by a naïve and self-interested focus on the economic opportunities presented by such a vast market, overlooking security considerations. This book challenges such a common belief through a detailed examination of the policies of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom from 1989 to the present.

The central argument of the book is that, whereas this assessment aptly characterized the first two post-Cold War decades, Beijing's growing assertiveness after 2009 caused the three major European powers to awaken to China's rise. In the 2010s, heightened threat perceptions of China, coupled with increasingly competitive bilateral economic relations with the PRC, have gradually and cumulatively caused the hardening of their policies toward China.

The book also explores the complex dynamics of European-Chinese relations, including the challenges and opportunities posed by China's rise. It examines the different approaches taken by the three major European powers toward China, including their attempts to balance economic interests and security concerns, navigate the complexities of the Chinese political system, and manage their relations with other regional powers.

Overall, Awakening to China's Rise provides a valuable insight into the complex and evolving relationship between Europe and China, offering a comprehensive analysis of how the major European powers have responded to China's rise as a great power. The book is essential reading for scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in understanding the geopolitical and strategic implications of China's rise in the global arena.

Weight: 656g
Dimension: 241 x 164 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198865537