The China Puzzle – The Rise of an Autocracy and Its Implications

The rise of an autocratic China as the world’s second largest economic power without fundamental political reform has challenged the basic tenets of democratic theory and seems to have launched a new “reverse wave” to demonstrate the strength and potential of authoritarianism with its normative power in the international system. The success and efficiency of the Communist regime to
weather a variety of political, economic and social crises at different levels have further solidified the legitimacy of its authoritarian rule at home. Meanwhile, despite China’s efforts to accommodate and dance with those mainstream discourses (democracy, human rights and the rule of law), the giant country has often encountered the limits of its autocratic rule demonstrated
in many paradoxes, conflicts, discrepancies and anxieties. The key questions are: Is China changing the world and has become the leading role model of autocracy that counterbalances the spread of liberalism and democracy? Or is it still just a question of time for China to gradually transform itself into a sustainable and reliable democracy? This book examines both China’s
domestic conditions and developments and China’s role in international affairs. It aims to decipher the China puzzle and detect if an alternative space of authoritarianism as a global or regional phenomenon is coming into existence. If so, how does it work and what are its implications for international relations?