How Sentiment Matters in International Relations: China and the South China Sea Dispute

The rise of the People’s Republic of China represents a major challenge for global politics at large and regional stability in Southeast Asia in specific. This book reveals that growing negative sentiment and disrespect experiences perceived by the Chinese side over time have contributed to Beijing’s increasingly bold and proactive stance toward the South China Sea Dispute in recent years. At the same time, growing regional tensions and a hardening of the stakeholders’ positions have been the ultimate result. Based upon this book’s findings, however, conflict is considered not inevitable and avoidable instead. To this end, a number of implications and policy recommendations are provided and critically examined.