Rising Power, Limited Influence

Since 2012 and the era of Xi Jinping, China's foreign policy and its actions have been increasingly scrutinised. This collection of essays looks at the important example of Europe. Through diverse, data rich, well-argued case studies, the authors present a picture of a China which has indeed grown more powerful, but also more complex in its impact and motives. Avoiding easy conclusions, this work offers much needed analysis based on solid empirical research, and sheds light in an area too often dominated by speculation and lack of evidence. * Kerry Brown, PhD, Professor of Chinese Studies and Director, Lau China Institute, King's College London *
A timely and valuable addition to a growing literature that questions the assumption that China's increased resources - in this case, devoted to investments in European countries - translate smoothly into effective Chinese political influence. This edited text draws on the expertise of both China specialists and European country specialists from around the world. It arrives at nuanced findings demonstrating variegation in both process and outcome, thereby challenging any singular assessment of the impact of China's resurgence on international liberal order. * Rosemary Foot, PhD, FBA, Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow, Department of Politics & International Relations and Emeritus Fellow, St Antony's College, University of Oxford *
Challenging the popular narratives of China as the Other of the liberal West, Rising Power, Limited Influence unravels the complex interactive dynamics of European agency and Chinese preferences in constructing European economic order. Studded with insights, it points the way to a deeper and richer understanding of the intertwined relationship between China and the liberal international order. * Yongjin Zhang, DPhil, Professor of International Politics, School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies University of Bristol and Co-Editor of Bristol Studies in East Asian International Relations *
China's ability to exercise economic power is often assumed and stated rather than proven. This collection punctures a number of those assumptions about the nature of Chinese international economic actors, and also the impact of these international interactions on Europe. * Shaun Breslin, PhD, Professor of Politics and International Studies, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick and Co-Editor of The Pacific Review *
The volume can be recommended for its studies of individual European countries' relations with China. * Jeremy Garlick, The China Quarterly *