This book sets out to answer how China's rise can best be understood from both East Asian and Western perspectives. It also assesses the prospect of realignment away from the US hegemony in East Asia in light of persistent regional rivalries. Throughout the book, the authors show that for China's neighbours, as well as for its own intellectuals, historicizing the country's rise provides one way of understanding its current ascendant trajectory, on the one hand, and acute social problems, on the