What does China’s regional diplomacy tell us about its geopolitical position and ambitions? Yuxing Huang argues that in an environment of numerous regional competitors and alignments, China practises asymmetric statecraft toward its many weaker neighbours. In the South China Sea, it maintains a uniform strategy toward Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia. Whereas in South Asia, it employs selective strategies to maintain the status quo with India and to enhance Pakistan’s position. This perceptive interpretation of the different narratives and paradigms that constitute China’s foreign policy alerts us to the potential future of its diplomatic endeavours in a dramatically changing international environment.
