The diverse dimensions, capabilities and sustainability of China’s power: An introduction

It is becoming more and more common to read that China will rise in the twenty-first century to become the most important power in the world.1 Increasingly, people everywhere on earth are talking about China; especially how China is affecting their countries and lives, what they can (or cannot) do with or without China, and what will happen to China in the future (Chung 2006). It is therefore timely for us to ask what are the sources of China’s power, what can China do and how long can China sustain its power? These are the subjects that this book seeks to explore.