Introduction: China’s New Foreign Policy

Abstract

China’s profile in international relations underwent a decisive change in the aftermath of the Tian’anmen Square incidents of 1989 and the Taiwan Strait Crisis of 1995–1996. China’s resulting isolation further intensified perceptions of the country as a rising global power that did not fit into the existing system of international institutions and posed a potential threat to its Asian neighbours. China’s efforts to modernise and aggrandise its armed forces further fostered these perceptions. Starting from this humble position, China has become increasingly active in multilateral fora and, following its successful applications for access to international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), China has expanded its relations with the global system, benefiting both its economy and its reputation. In the first decade of the new millennium China was treated as a ‘responsible stakeholder’ of the established (Western-style) international system.