China in Oceania Reshaping the Pacific [Paperback]

It is important to see Chinas activities in the Pacific Islands, not just in terms of a specific set of interests, but in the context of Beijings recent efforts to develop a comprehensive and global foreign policy. Chinas policy towards Oceania is part of a much larger outreach to the developing world, a major work in progress that involves similar initiatives in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. This groundbreaking study of Chinas soft power initiatives in these countries offers, for the first time, the diverse perspectives of scholars and diplomats from Oceania, North American, China, and Japan. It explores such issues as regional competition for diplomatic and economic ties between Taiwan and China, the role of overseas Chinese in developing these relationships, and various analyses of the benefits and drawbacks of Chinas growing presence in Oceania. In addition, the reader obtains a rare review of the Japanese response to Chinas role in Oceania, presented by Japans leading scholar of the Pacific region.

Edgar A. Porteris Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) in Japan. Prior to joining APU he was Interim Dean of the School of Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Hawaii. He is the author ofForeign Teachers in China: Old Problems for a New Generation(Greenwood 1990) andThe Peoples Doctor: George Hatem and Chinas Revolution(University of Hawaii Press 1997).

List of Maps, Tables, and Figures
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1.Introduction: Oceania Matters
Edgar A. PorterandTerence Wesley-Smith

Chapter 2.Chinas Pacific Engagement
TerenceWesley-Smith

Chapter 3.A Regional Power by Default
Yongjin Zhang

Chapter 4.Challenges, Opportunities and the Case for Engagement
Michael Powles