Oxford University Press 2019 - Law and Global Governance Series

The Rise of China and International Law: Taking Chinese Exceptionalism Seriously

Congyan Cai

Read OnlineRead Online

China has rapidly expanded its power by, among others, reorienting its traditionally inward-focused international legal policies and practices to around the same time when international law, especially global regimes and institutions, has gained traction in international relations. The relationship between international law and a rising China has unprecedented intellectual and policy importance.

This book provides a systematic and critical elaboration of the interplay between a rising China and international law, deconstructs Chinese legal policies and practices in the international sphere and covers timely developments in international law and China’s place in it. The author concludes the book by examining the idea of “American exceptionalism” and “Chinese exceptionalism” and exploring the following questions – As China is steadily expanding its power, is “Chinese exceptionalism” possible to emerge? If so, is “Chinese exceptionalism” similar to American exceptionalism? If not, what is “Chinese exceptionalism”?