ABSTRACT
David C. Kang's China Rising brings an innovative, robust framework to the study of China's role in East Asia and the wider world, one whose relevance is likely to endure. As the argument goes, while China adapts itself to the Western-led international order, it is increasingly able to dictate behaviors and international norms according to its preference and its interests. Kang's work has influenced a number of China and East Asia specialists, among them the scholar Robert E. Kelly, who presents the concept of Confucian peace as a cornerstone of Asian identity, and integral to the political and economic stability Asia enjoyed before Western colonization of the region. Kang's ideas and assessment of China's rise have contributed to building a poignant and credible alternative perspective on current East Asian international politics, Sino-American relations, and the future of Chinese foreign policy.
