This book, the first of a multi-volume set on the Silk Road during the Ming Dynasty, takes a holistic and global view of the origin and development of the Silk Road.The multi-volume work revisits the history of the Silk Road and analyzes the evolving relationship between China and the world from the late 14th century to the mid-17th century. It reveals the historical significance of the Silk Road and cultural exchange for world history. This first volume focuses on China's foreign ...

Offering a coherent overview of the historical and institutional context of enduring patterns in East Asian political economy, this updated and expanded second edition textbook explores the dramatic regional and international transformations that this key region has faced since the 2008 financial crisis.Key features of the second edition include:Utilizing an International Political Economy theoretical framework to offer a truly holistic view of the East Asian politica...

Through the outline of a coherent theoretical foundation for understanding East Asian international relations, this textbook offers a fresh, analytical approach, including applications of evolutionary theory that differ from and contextualize the prevailing theories currently offered for studies of East Asia. It provides an extensive coverage of ancient world order and European imperialism preceding contemporary themes of security, economic development, money and finance, regionalism, the ...

With China's global ascendancy, Chinese foreign policy has become a popular area of study for scholars around the world. Rather than simply contributing to this subject, this book sets out to reflect on the field itself, using as samples some of the author's previous work, both published and unpublished, covering different areas of Chinese foreign policy and adopting different approaches. In doing so, it examines how knowledge about Chinese foreign policy has developed, focusing on areas s...

This timely book examines new developments in Japan-China relations and new research conducted in Japan, China and elsewhere since 2006. The book covers major issues such as the September 2010 Chinese fishing boat collision incident, cross-Strait relations, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, and China's suspension of rare earth exports to Japan. It explores a variety of theoretical understandings of the Sino-Japanese relationship, namely relationship management, domestic pol...

Japan seeks economic competitiveness vis-a-vis the West and economic dominance in Asia, but it mainly competes through cooperative use of economic resources, which facilitates realization of the goals of partner nations. This book studies Japan's balance between the United States and East Asia by focusing on the use of economic power - defense spending, consumption, and investment - to advance Japan's political and strategic as well as economic interests. It also investigates Japan's direc...

Since the beginning of China's phenomenal rise in the international system, our knowledge of the country has grown rapidly. But those who have debated the China issue in policy circles mostly focus on the implications of China’s rise, often without a firm understanding of why the country is rising in the first place.Using an analytical framework which links China’s domestic political economy order and the global system, this book helps us to understand China’s rise and the China mo...

Few issues in the relations between China and the West invoke as much passion as human rights. At stake, however, are much more than moral concerns and hurt national feelings. To Washington, the undemocratic nature of the Chinese government makes it ultimately suspect on all issues. To Beijing, the human rights pressure exerted by the West on China seems designed to compromise its legitimacy. As China's economic power grows and its influence on the politics of developing countries continue...

Few issues in the relations between China and the West invoke as much passion as human rights. At stake, however, are much more than moral concerns and hurt national feelings. To Washington, the undemocratic nature of the Chinese government makes it ultimately suspect on all issues. To Beijing, the human rights pressure exerted by the West on China seems designed to compromise its legitimacy. As China's economic power grows and its influence on the politics of developing countries continue...

This timely book explores the turbulence of East Asian politics on a domestic and international scale. Drawing on insights from experts in the field, it provides an in-depth analysis of topics including economic regionalism, the rise of China as a global superpower and historical influences on modern developments.An interdisciplinary array of academics shed light on the rapidly evolving nature of East Asian politics and its uncertain future, reflecting on the region’s impact on glo...

Urbanization is one of the most important phenomena in economic development. In the past three decades, Asian urban populations expanded by almost one billion, a figure expected to double in the next three decades. Clearly, both the scale and pace of urbanization in Asia is unprecedented in human history and will dominate the global urbanization landscape. Asia's urbanization, in turn, is dominated by what is happening in China and India, the two most populous, fastest growing economies in...

Functional Thin Films Technology features the functional aspects of thin films, such as their application in solar selective absorbers, fiber lasers, solid oxide fuel cells, piezo-related areas, catalysts, superhydrophobicity, semiconductors, and trace pesticides detection. It highlights developments and advances in the preparation, characterization, and applications of functional micro-/nano-scaled films and coatings.This bookPresents technologies aimed at ...