China's Two Identities

This book presents an original explanation of the stark contrast between two very different Chinese foreign policy patterns. On the one hand, there is Beijing's hard power actorness related, among others, to territorial disputes and 'wolf warrior' intimidating maneuvers. On the other hand, there are China's peaceful and cooperative actions, well-illustrated by the Belt and Road Initiative. This book shows that this situation is best understood as a consequence of the coexistence of two different Chinese identities respectively associated with the concepts of nineteenth-century-style territorial empire, and twenty-first-century-style postmodern global power. The book contends that in China's case, they form a virtuous circle-characterized by a specific division of labor-as both identities are instrumental to the construction of a new, Chinese-led international order. The book provides a detailed analysis of the genesis, development, features, and interplay of these identities. It is relevant to scholars in China studies, political history, contemporary politics, and foreign policy.

Theodor Tudoroiu is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the Université de Montréal and an M.A. from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. His China-related books include The Myth of China's No Strings Attached Development Assistance: A Caribbean Case Study (Lexington Books, 2020), China's International Socialization of Political Elites in the Belt and Road Initiative (Routledge, 2021), China's Globalization from Below: Chinese Entrepreneurial Migrants and the Belt and Road Initiative (Routledge, 2022), China in The Global South: Impact and Perceptions (co-edited with Anna Kuteleva, Springer, 2022), and The Geopolitics of the Belt and Road Initiative (Routledge, 2024).

.- Chapter 1 Introduction. .- Chapter 2 Constructivist Theoretical Framework. .- Chapter 3 China as Territorial Empire.