Global China

Abstract

The Routledge Handbook on Global China provides in-depth research that examines the multifaceted phenomenon of Global China, presenting a comprehensive view to understand China's engagement on the global stage. The introduction to this volume contextualizes the chapters that follow, exploring the complex interplay between politics, economy and society, focusing on China's emergence as a global economic power and the impact of its economic strategies and initiatives on international relations. In recent decades, China's increasing involvement in trade, investment and global supply chains has shifted global attention from economic efficiency to geopolitical concerns and normative issues, positioning China as a systemic rival to the Western collective. The Handbook, however, suggests different theoretical and analytical lenses to make sense of the emergence of Global China. It encourages a reassessment of norms, practices and knowledge production, embodying a transformative process that challenges established paradigms and promotes epistemic decolonization and postcolonial reorientations. These shifts are dynamic and subject to interactions with hegemonic discourses and political agendas, illustrating the challenges and opportunities associated with this phenomenon. Three epistemic commitments are proposed for the study of Global China: The promotion of diverse viewpoints and non-binary frameworks, the adoption of nuanced modes of analysis to analyze China's transnational relations, and the promotion of alternative methodological approaches and research designs to envision different future trajectories for China in international affairs. The chapters in this handbook aim to illuminate the multidirectional and transformative nature of Global China, fostering theoretical innovation, methodological reflection and analytical transformation, offering new ways to critically engage with China's global involvements and prompting a reassessment of existing theories about the complexity of global dynamics.