ABSTRACT
The development of China over the past thirty years is fascinating and is arguably the most important international development of our era. China – it seems to many Western observers – is on its way to becoming a new superpower with the potential to threaten the dominant position of the United States, not only in the Pacific theatre but maybe also in the whole world. It is not surprising, therefore, that the rise of China and its implications for the world’s only superpower are portrayed and discussed widely within the political and academic community both inside and outside the United States. An overwhelming array of books and articles has been published on these issues, and numerous conferences are convened to analyse the implications.
