China's Selective Identities

This book discusses the role of selective identities in shaping China's position in regional andglobal affairs. It does so by using the concept of the political transition of power, and arguesthat by taking on different types of identities-of state, ideology and culture-the Chinesegovernment has adjusted China's identity to different kinds of audiences. By adopting differentkinds of "self", China has secured its relatively peaceful transition within the existing systemand, in the meantime, strengthened its capacity to place its principles within that system. To itsimmediate neighbors, China presents itself as a state that needs clearcut borders. In relation tothe developing world (Global South), the PRC narrates "self" as an ideology with the banner ofmaterialism, equality and justice. To its third "audience", the developed world (mainly Europe),China presents itself as a peaceful, innocent cultural construct based primarily onConfucius'passive approach. By bringing these three identities into "one Chinese body" (????, sanweiyiti), China's policymakers skillfully maneuver and build the country's position in the arena ofglobal affairs.