Despite the growing internal social unrest and disparity of economic development, the People s Republic of China is the third largest world economy and the second largest defense spender. Showing no clear signs of slowing down, China s rise is seen as both an opportunity and a challenge by the major world powers.

This book examines every aspect of Beijing's strategies, ranging from political, economic and social challenges, to the Taiwan and Hong Kong issues, to the implications of these strategies in terms of China's place within the Asia Pacific, and indeed within the world system.

Written by a stellar line-up of international contributors the book will appeal to students and scholars of Chinese politics, foreign policy, political economy and social policy, and China-watchers alike.

Despite the growing internal social unrest and disparity of economic development, the People 's Republic of China is the third largest world economy and the second largest defense spender. Showing no clear signs of slowing down, China 's rise is seen as both an opportunity and a challenge by the major world powers.

This book examines every aspect of Beijing's strategies, ranging from political, economic and social challenges, to the Taiwan and Hong Kong issues, to the implications of these strategies in terms of China's place within the Asia Pacific, and indeed within the world system.

Written by a stellar line-up of international contributors the book will appeal to students and scholars of Chinese politics, foreign policy, political economy and social policy, and China-watchers alike.

Increasing tensions in the South China Sea have propelled the dispute to the top of the Asia-Pacific's security agenda. Fuelled by rising nationalism over ownership of disputed atolls, growing competition over natural resources, strident assertions of their maritime rights by China and the Southeast Asian claimants, the rapid modernization of regional armed forces and worsening geopolitical rivalries among the Great Powers, the South China Sea will remain an area of diplomatic wrangling and potential conflict for the foreseeable future. Featuring some of the world's leading experts on Asian security, this volume explores the central drivers of the dispute and examines the positions and policies of the main actors including China, Taiwan, the Southeast Asian claimants, America and Japan. The South China Sea Dispute: Navigating Diplomatic and Strategic Tensions provides readers with the key to understanding how this most complex and contentious dispute is shaping the regional security environment.