ABSTRACT
China’s engagement in multilateralism is basically instrumental in the sense that it always serves the grand strategy of China’s vision of the world and its role within it. As shown in the analysis conducted in the historical review section, these visions change, as Chinese leaders have conceived different ideas about China’s role and China’s status in the world, followed by different ideas about multilateralism. Multilateralism practiced by China serves the purpose of realizing China’s strategic goals in different periods in ways acceptable to the international society and manageable by China. It nurtures mutual trust and legitimizes China’s participation in regional affairs while avoiding accusations of unilateralism. China’s adaptation of competitive multilateralism to the reality of regional economic integration naturally follows from ideas other than the free trade ideology that has dominated US-led multilateralism. The competition of institutions and clash of regionalization strategies nurture China to develop a competitive or parallel multilateralism in Asia.
