This recent book by Chien-peng Chung is a welcome contribution to the growing literature on China's foreign policy, a highly relevant field of study. Chung examines China's “Good Neighbour Policy” and its multilateral co-operation in Asia, encompassing Central Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, specifically the Pacific Island Countries (PICs).
Following an “Introduction” outlining the purpose, focus and objectives of the book, chapter two is devoted to China's “Good Neighbour Policy.” The subsequent chapters explore China's participation in, or dealings with, the following multilateral organizations: the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) (chapter three); the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) (chapter four); the “Shanghai Five” and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) (chapter five); the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (chapter six); the “Four-Party Talks” and the “Six-Party Talks' relating to the Korean Peninsula (chapter seven). Chapter eight deals with China's policy towards the Pacific. Chapter nine is a concluding chapter summarizing the main findings of the book.
Chung's book provides a very useful introduction to China's “Good Neighbour Policy” and to China's participation in the various multilateral co-operation schemes. The strength of the book is that it encompasses all these schemes and not only one of them. Having said that, it also implies that the individual chapters dealing with China's policies, approaches and participation in the APEC, the ARF, the SCO, the “ASEAN + 3” and “ASEAN + China,” in the “Four-Party Talks” and in the “Six-Party Talks', respectively are less detailed than other studies dealing with each of the cases. The most innovative chapter is the one dealing with the Pacific island countries, as the Pacific seldom features in studies on China's foreign policy.
The author does address the main aim of the book, which is to examine China's “Good Neighbour Policy” and China's multilateral co-operation in Asia and the Pacific. However, the stated aim to include “South Asia” (p. 2) is not fulfilled and no explanation is given for the omission. Furthermore, the fourth of the stated objectives of the book (pp. 2–3) is partly overlooked in the book since the ambition to “consider the theoretical claim that membership size of a multilateral organization affects the degree of co-operation among its participants” is not fulfilled.
The book would have benefited from a different structure since ASEAN-related issues are divided into two separate chapters and this results in some ASEAN–China issues being addressed in the chapter on the ARF while others appear in the chapter on “ASEAN + 3” and “ASEAN + China.” A more coherent approach would have been to put all aspects of the ASEAN–China relationship – including the ARF – into one chapter.
The author has used a number of relevant sources, and the notes and bibliography are useful, although the latter could have been more substantial. One reference that stands out is Wikipedia, relating to both the map and the membership of the Pacific Islands Forum (p. 104). Wikipedia is not considered a legitimate source of information in scholarly research, and since no maps of the other geographical areas encompassed by the book have been included, this was unnecessary.
In addition, some empirical developments are presented with inadequate or even no references to substantiate the information provided. The latter is evident in relation to the issues and developments linked to the South China Sea, such as the information about a protest made by Vietnam in November 2007 and China's reaction to legislation by the Philippines in February 2009 (p. 86). Another example is in the conclusion where information relating to a demonstration outside China's Embassy in Hanoi in December 2007 protesting developments in the South China Sea is outlined without any reference (p. 119).
By way of concluding, it can be said that Chung's book is recommended reading through the strengths outlined in this review. Its broad approach is a good complement to the more case-specific studies that deal with China's policies towards specific regions and organizations in Asia as well as studies dealing with China's bilateral relations with individual Asian countries. The studies in the latter category provide more focused analyses and more detailed facts, but they do not provide the overview outlined in Chung's study. The book is relevant to a broad readership interested in China's growing role in regional and global affairs with particular reference to China's role in Asia and in the Pacific.
