Building upon an understanding of the rule of law as an ?'essentially contested concept?', this insightful book investigates the historical, political, and legal foundations of the Chinese perspectives on the rule of law at both a national and international level. In particular, chapters focus on China?s impact on global trade and security governance. These case studies enable conclusions to be drawn regarding China?'s more general perspectives on the international rule of law as a concept. Offering a thorough analysis of EU-China relationships, the book highlights the prospects and challenges for a meaningful dialogue on the rule of law and the international rule of law. In doing so, it illustrates the merits of the rule of law as a concept to engage in meaningful dialogues across a myriad of legal and political systems. This book will hold particular appeal for students and scholars of Chinese Law, International Law, EU-China Relations, and legal theory. Policy makers will also find this a stimulating read as the work aims to build both academic and policy bridges between the Western and Chinese conceptions on the rule of law at both national and international levels.

China, the European Union and the Developing World provides a comparative analysis of Chinese and EU influence across five different regions of the developing world: Asia-Pacific; South and Central Asia; the Middle East and North Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; and Latin America.While there is broad acknowledgement that the importance of China is rising across the developing world, this book offers a comprehensive and comparative account of the relative increase of the Chinese presence in the various different regions. It highlights its impact on the relationship between the EU and the developing world regions and shows how the rise of China affects the relations between these regions and Europe. This comprehensive study will appeal to researchers and scholars interested in global governance, European foreign policy, Chinese foreign policy, EU-China relations, as well as trade compared with developing countries around the world. Students of European studies and Chinese studies, as well as policymakers in the areas of external relations and EU-China relations, will also find this book a useful guide. Contributors: C. Alden, E. Atanassova-Cornelis, L. Barber, B. Barton, U.S. Bava, F. Bossuyt, M. Burnay, D. Camroux, A. de Bellefroid, J.-C. Defraigne, K. Fachqoul, B. Kabamba, T. Pairault, C. Portella, J. Schottli, R.B. St. John, G. Verhulst, W. Wang, K. Weber, S. Wintgens, J. Wouters