A Rising China and Security in East Asia: Identity Construction and Security Discourse

This volume provides a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the security discourse of Chinese elites on the major powers in East Asia, namely the United States, Japan and Russia. It is the first book-length study that utilises International Relations theories systematically to analyse Chinese perceptions of the three countries’ global and Asia-Pacific security strategy in the post-Cold War era. Rex Li argues that the security discourse of Chinese policy analysts is closely linked to their conception of China’s identity and their desire and efforts to construct a great power identity for China. Drawing on a wide range of Chinese-language sources, this study demonstrates that Chinese policy elites perceive the power, aspirations and security strategies of other East Asian powers primarily in terms of their implications for China’s pursuit of a great power status in the twenty-first century. It also examines the debate among Chinese international relations specialists on how China should respond to the perceived challenge from the three major powers to its rise to a global status. A Rising China and Security in East Asia will be of great interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students and scholars of Asian security, China’s foreign relations, security studies and international relations.