Introduction: China — Yes, But …

It seems that Napoleon was right – the world has been shaken by China’s awakening. Although China engaged the United Nations (UN) in military conflict in Korea in the 1950s, has been a nuclear power since the 1960s, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since 1971 and was a key actor in Cold War politics, China’s re-engagement with the global political economy has been a major reason why the world has been shaken into re-evaluating China’s importance. To be fair, China’s importance has been clear and present in some parts of the world for quite some time – for China’s neighbours, long standing fears of potential conflict in Japan, Taiwan and much of Southeast Asia sit alongside actual experiences of military engagement with China in India, Vietnam and the former Soviet Union. What has changed is that the China challenge is now being taken seriously in other parts of the world as well – China is shaking the West, and shaking the United States (US) in particular. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.