This book utilises publicly available materials, such as US diplomatic cables leaked about a decade ago, to provide an inside look at the regional dynamics between China and its East Asian neighbours. It is increasingly important in this field to step out of the echo chamber of the West-dominant narratives, and to adopt a realistic assessment of the region.There is a near consensus that East Asia is the most important region in the 21st century due to the size of its population and economy. Nevertheless, alarmist predictions about its future stability keep coming from pundits. Indeed, East Asia in the aftermath of the Cold War might provide the most likely case study for realists to prove their pessimism about inter-state relations due to historical rivalries, territorial disputes, economic competition, great power politics and deep-rooted realist beliefs among politicians in the region. However, East Asia has stayed defiant to these Western framings of regional dynamics. People interested in East Asia and Chinese foreign policy will find this book useful in furthering their understanding of how China has interacted with other East Asian states in the post-Cold War setting in light of tradition, regional structure and great power competitions.
