China’s future role on the global stage hinges upon a mixture of strengths and weaknesses. Beijing’s meteoric rise in economic terms has been coupled by increasing military expenditures and a more assertive foreign policy stance. But the country is also facing a potential backlash, exemplified by protests in Hong Kong, while it remains to be seen whether (and how) the governance of the coronavirus outbreak will affect China's image abroad.

This report sets out to explore some of the key aspects of China’s regional and global foreign policy. It analyses the core tenets that motivate and shape China’s preferences, ideals, and actions, and explores how they interact with its partners, allies, and rivals.

Download the Report (PDF)

Introduction

Paolo Magri

1. The China Dream: The Regional and Global Strategic Story

Kerry Brown

2. President Xi’s Big Power Diplomacy: Advancing an Assertive Foreign Policy Agenda

Suisheng Zhao

3. Chinese New Terminology: “International Order” and “World Order”

Shin Kawashima

4. In the Words of the Dragon: China’s 2019 National Defence White Paper Unpacked

Giulia Sciorati

5. India in Sight, China’s Imprint Grows in South Asia

Harsh V. Pant

6. China’s Choice of Strategic Partners within the 17+1 Initiative

Chen Changwei, Nikola Stojanović

7. The EU and China. From “Strategic Partners” to “Systemic Rivals”

Axel Berkofsky

Conclusions. Policy Recommendations for the EU

Axel Berkofsky, Giulia Sciorati