ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the trajectory of China's neighbourhood strategy in the post-Cold War era as it relates to the country's grand development plan. It describes the general context for China's relations with Central Asian countries, its interactions with Russia in the region and the role of Chinese leadership in the origin and evolution of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). She argues that China's neighbourhood policy has a long history that began immediately after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took power in 1949. Of China's surrounding regions, the northwest front offers the greatest opportunity for China to adopt a more assertive neighbourhood policy, as it provides a big pool of potential partners and less competition. Thus, the Chinese government emphasises its neighbourhood policy for many reasons related to peripheral stability, national security, economic development and international status. China's public diplomacy towards its neighbourhood has been implemented as part of its overall public diplomacy strategy rather than neighbourhood policy.
