Introduction

Much has been said in the mass media and in academic and policy-making circles about the rise of China and its impact on the world. ¹ Witnessing the growing influence of China, leaders of major powers, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have frequently called on the Chinese to use their leverage to put pressure on recalcitrant rulers and resolve the nuclear weapons crisis in North Korea and internal conflicts in Myanmar and Sudan. China is no longer an Asian power only; it is now widely assumed to be a global power, and no global problems can be successfully handled without China’s involvement. Evidence abounds. In July 2008 a new grouping of seven core members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) – Australia, Brazil, China, the European Union, India, Japan and the US – was formed by Pascal Lamy, the director- general of the organization, with the aim of pushing forward the Doha round of global trade negotiations. ² China was invited by the US to join the Group of Eight industrialized countries and other emerging economic powers at the G20 summit, held in Washington, DC, in mid-November 2008, to discuss ways to deal with the looming global financial crisis. ³ The economic downturn has tarnished the Anglo-American model of capitalism, giving China an opportunity to expand its influence abroad, particularly in developing nations. ⁴