China and Europe Relations in the Twenty-First Century: Politics, Law and Ordinary Life (Asia, Europe, and Global Connections)

This book argues that although relations between China and Europe are strained in many areas, including trade, human rights and views about political systems, nevertheless established linkages, especially when considered in the context of long-term historical linkages, development trajectories and intellectual cultures, offer good prospects for future progressive collaborative exchanges. Approaching the subject in a balanced way, giving equal weight to the perspectives of both sides, the book examines China and Europe’s shared experiences of age-old civilizations, of the disorienting effects of the economic, social and political upheavals triggered by the late eighteenth century creation of the modern world, and of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries era of European empires, warfare and the Cold War. It contends that although China and Europe appear superficially to have followed different paths, with many problems in their relationship resulting, they in fact have a very great deal in common concerning how they have coped with the long shift from ancient civilizations to the modern world of natural-science-based industrial capitalism. "This book argues that although relations between China and Europe are strained in many areas, including trade, human rights and views about political systems, nevertheless established linkages, especially when considered in the context of long-term historical linkages, development trajectories and intellectual cultures, offer good prospects for future progressive collaborative exchanges. Approaching the subject in a balanced way, giving equal weight to the perspectives of both sides, the book examines China and Europe's shared experiences of age-old civilisations, of the disorienting effects of the economic, social and political upheavals triggered by the late eighteenth century creation of the modern world, and of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries era of European empires, warfare and Cold War. It contends that although China and Europe appear superficially to have followed different paths, with many problems in their relationship resulting, they in fact have a very great deal in common concerning how they have coped with the long shift from ancient civilisations to the modern world of natural science based industrial capitalism"-- Provided by publisher Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of figures List of table Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Introduction: Changing perceptions of the relationship between China and Europe Chapter 2 China, Europe and the creation of the modern world Chapter 3 China and Europe in the twenty-first century: New linkages Chapter 4 China: The structure of government and the role of the law Chapter 5 The EU: Politics, law and decision-making Chapter 6 China and the EU: Peaceful rising Chapter 7 The EU and China: Evolving policy towards China Chapter 8 China: Recent problems Chapter 9 The EU: Managing recent problems Afterword Index