Introduction

After two decades since the disintegration of Soviet Union in 1991, the largest and the most populist socialist state — the People's Republic of China — does not only manage to stay intact, but has also emerged as the second largest economy in the world. Moreover, its political, diplomatic, military and cultural reaches have been extended to various parts of the world.

There have been many factual and fictional discussions and debates in the public domains, on China’s apparent rise either as a threat or an opportunity. This book will take on these discussions and debates to provide theory-informed empirical studies regarding a few research questions: We consider that the idea and concept of “Global China” is perhaps the most viable analytical instrument to capture such increasingly complex phenomena in association with the rise of China.