China, the Developing World, and the New Global Dynamic

by Lowell Dittmer (editor), George T. Yu (Editor)

With China's rise as a major player in international affairs, how have its policies toward developing countries changed? And how do those policies now fit with its overall foreign policy goals? This timely new book explores the complexities of China's evolving relationship with the developing world. The authors first examine the political and economic implications of China's efforts to be seen as a responsible great power. A series of comprehensive regional chapters then showcase a quid pro quo relationship - variously involving crucial raw materials, energy, and consumers on the one hand and infrastructure development, aid, and security on the other. The concluding chapter illuminates China's search for national identity in the context of widespread suspicions of its strategic motives. The result is a thorough, yet accessible, view of an increasingly important topic in global affairs. This book explores the complexities of China's evolving relationship with the developing world, including countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.

251 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Lowell Dittmer was an author and professor at University of California, Berkeley, where he was a member of the Political Science Department from 1978 until his retirement in 2022. He served as faculty chair of the Center for Chinese Studies (CSS) under the Institute of East Asian Studies (IEAS) from 1979 to 1983, and editor for Asian Survey between the years of 1990 and 2019.

Reviews

[Meihan Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to China's general Third World policy and the mentality behind it.