ABSTRACT
Confucius, giant pandas, and pirates in Somali, what do they have in common? They all have something to do with China’s new diplomacy. To expand its soft power, China has established hundreds of Confucius Institutes globally since early 2000s; to demonstrate its peaceful and friendly intentions, China has resorted to panda diplomacy, good neighbor diplomacy and other public relations charm offensives; and China has taken more global responsibilities such as hosting the Six-Party Talks and sending naval warships to fight piracy off the Somali coast. In the 21st century, China’s role in international affairs has been changed from being a bystander to an active participant and rule-maker. The leaps-andbounds developments in China’s relations with different parts of the world are truly phenomenal. What is the rationale behind China’s new diplomacy? What are China’s strategies to implement its new diplomacy? What are the implications for international political economy? The previous chapters have attempted to answer these questions by examining China’s diplomatic activities in different parts of the developing world. This final chapter summarizes major findings and arguments and discusses key challenges China faces in its foreign relations in the years ahead.
