ABSTRACT
Concluding the book's investigation, this chapter argues that over the last decades key political events in the China-Europe relationship are difficult to fully account for without bringing Chinese identity issues into the equation. Beijing was repeatedly proven ready to undertake actions in support of their ontological security, which goes beyond what would be expected if employing only economic or rational-political logic to the analysis of China's Europe policies. This book has analysed the roots of these identity issues, through investigating how Europe played a key role in Chinese identity crises since the fall of Qing dynasty, and how these historical experiences are still central in framing Chinese policies. Particularly in the early decades of the last century, European influences were integral to the Chinese efforts at re-establishing a stable national identity. Additionally, this book's undertaking of a broad study of China, from the mid-19th century till today, has contributed to widening the conceptual universe of ontological security studies. Having summarized the findings of this enquiry, this chapter concludes with a few final remarks on the salience of exploring identity issues as a driver in Chinese foreign policies in an increasingly conflictual and multipolar world.
