China's Foreign Policy Contradictions

China's rise to great power status is indisputable but can it shape the future international order? This question remains widely debated because China's foreign policy is contradictory. Contrary to conventional wisdom, this book shows that China does not act from a position of strength, but that foreign policy contradictions are the result of the domestic vulnerabilities of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Providing exceptional insights into the considerations behind the opaque institutional structures of Chinese foreign policymaking and decision making, it shows that China will not provide a "model" for a new international system, but could undermine the existing order.