Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>This book critically examines China’s global strategy that Xi Jinping has implemented to achieve global pre-eminence, described as fulfilling “the China Dream of national rejuvenation.” To this end, Xi seeks to transform the liberal international order to the tianxia, or Sino-centric order, by securing support from Global South countries. Xi calls this the “democratization of international relations.” It constitutes the central pivot of China’s global strategy (first pivot). A complementary pivot is to prepare to take Taiwan against the wishes of the United States (second pivot). China’s strategy is based on its de facto state ideology, Xi Jinping Thought, which takes precedence over realpolitik calculations. This book puts forth an analytical framework, “Sino-centric party-state realism,” to elucidate the drivers that shape the implementation of this strategy. To do so, the book examines changes Xi has made to China’s foreign policy–making system, the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi’s three global initiatives (on development, security, and civilization), and his approach to the United Nations, international organizations dominated by Global South countries, and the global economy and technology. It further explains how the four drivers interact, using Xi’s policy toward Taiwan and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as test cases. The book concludes that China has made impressive gains in the Global South. It also explains how the effectiveness of China’s global strategy is limited by the tension between China’s global ambition and Xi’s overriding desire to stay in power, and between ideology and realpolitik.</jats:p>