Book presentation: Chinese Assertiveness in the South China Sea

“Chinese assertiveness” has become an infamous phrase – it is regularly used by media, pundits, and politicians, yet there is little scholarly work that would clarify the meaning of the concept. A similar situation exists when it comes to China’s power. Although it is generally assumed that “China is rising,” there are surprisingly few systematic studies of China’s power being done comprehensively and rigorously. The recent book Chinese Assertiveness in the South China Sea addresses these issues. It defines the concept of “Chinese assertiveness,” establishes what policy actions qualify to be included, and then tests explanations as to why China conducted such policies. By providing a detailed account of the events in the South China Sea and by analyzing power dynamics in the region, it identifies the driving forces behind China’s assertive foreign policy. The author demonstrates that Chinese assertiveness in the SCS can be explained not only by increases in China’s power, but also by effective reactions to changing international environment.

The working language will be English.

Ing. Mgr. Richard Q. Turcsányi, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at Mendel University in Brno and Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of International Relations Prague. Besides, he acts also as Director of Strategic Policy Institute - STRATPOL in Bratislava, and Deputy Director of its Institute of Asian Studies. In the past, he conducted long-term study and research stays at the University of Toronto, Peking University, National Chengchi University in Taipei and European Institute for Asian Studies in Brussels. He specializes in Chinese foreign policy, China’s power, and China’s relations with Central Europe. His research has appeared for example in Journal of Chinese Political Science, Energy Policy, Czech Journal of Political Science, Springer, and Brill.