ABSTRACT
The central theme of David C. Kang's China Rising is, as the title suggests, the ascent of China as a regional and global power. Kang argues that purely realist accounts of East Asian international relations, with their assumptions regarding conflict and the anarchy of the international scene, are not sufficient to explain why China's neighbors accommodate its political and economic ascent. By focusing only on material factors, such as military power, the realist theorization ignores the role played by identity. Emphasizing the evidence that suggests a strong China contributes to stability and growth in Asia, Kang's argument implies that the United States and other Western countries should see China's ascent as an opportunity, not as a threat. He highlights how the contemporary behavior of China's neighbors is consistent with a theoretical model that predicts how a sense of shared identity will promote a recognition of shared interests.
