Call for Papers: “China and the Asia-Pacific Century in International Politics”

CALL FOR PAPERS Special Issue (Fall 2025) on “China and the Asia-Pacific Century in International Politics” Guest Editor: Çağdaş Üngör

Global geopolitics in the 21st century is increasingly shaped by the China-US rivalry, sometimes called the ‘New Cold War’. With its growing share of the world’s GDP, a distinct economic model combining free enterprise with government regulation, and a highly authoritarian political regime, China is perceived mainly as a threat to the rules-based international order in the Western Hemisphere. Washington employs tariffs and export restrictions to contain China’s rise in the economic and technological realms, accelerating the decoupling process in the global supply chains of critical strategic items. NATO’s most recent strategic concept mentions China as an emerging competitor. By contrast, Beijing’s image in the developing world is often that of a donor, investor, and economic partner.

The growing influence of China and other emerging economies in the 21st century called for new terminologies, such as the ‘Asia-Pacific century’ or the ‘post-Western world.’ This special issue addresses this transformation and the intensifying great power rivalry between Washington and Beijing. Some of the questions it is interested in are: What is the role of China-sponsored institutions, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, or the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, in shaping the norms and rules of global governance today? How is China’s rise experienced by countries in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East? How are Chinese companies influencing major global trends such as the 4th Industrial Revolution or decarbonisation? Thus, this interdisciplinary issue invites authors to explore various themes relating to China’s growing international influence from a theoretical and/or empirical angle.

Themes of the Volume: US-China geopolitical confrontation and its implications on other countries; China’s rise and the response from neighbouring countries; Connectivity projects in Asia (Belt and Road, Global Gateway, Build Back Better World, etc.); Chinese FDI, development aid and loan schemes in the developing world; Strategies devised in different countries to respond to China’s rise (Asia Pivot, Go East, Asia Anew etc.); The appeal of ‘China Model’ and Chinese soft power across the world; Emerging economic partnerships in the Asia-Pacific (RCEP, TPP, etc.); Emerging partnerships in the security realm (Quad, AUKUS, etc.)

Those interested in contributing to this special issue should send a 400-word abstract (including the title, scope, sources, and main findings of the article) and a short biography (affiliation, research areas, previous work, contact details) to [email protected] before 30 July 2024.

The deadline for submitting full articles (between 6,000 and 8,000 words, including the footnotes) is 30 January 2025. Full manuscripts should be in full compliance with the author guidelines at https://uidergisi.com.tr/style-guidelines.

All submissions will undergo a double-blind review process.