ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the China's future role in East Asia by focusing on three issues: How does Beijing perceive and assess changes in East Asian international relations? Given the changing regional environment, how will Beijing manage future relations with its Asian neighbours over the maritime and territorial disputes? Since the Sino–US relationship is a pivotal factor in China's relations with other Asian countries, how will Beijing manage and build a new model of major power relations with the USA? China's rising and East Asian international relations are mutually transformative. As China rises, East Asian countries all feel the heat. They respond by taking either a balancing strategy or an accommodating policy, or both of them, towards China. China and the USA are two great powers bound together by deep political, economic, security, cultural and social ties. China – US relations are characterized by economic interdependence as well as security interdependence.
