Four decades of sustained economic growth in China has been accompanied by greater global ambitions. Chinese corporations, workers, and entrepreneurs increasingly go abroad in search of new opportunities when domestic competition leads to falling profits. China’s emergence as a dominant player on the global stage has been accompanied by new ways of understanding the Chinese nation’s nature and destiny. This course offers a comprehensive examination of "Global China." It explored the drivers and consequences of a world order where China is center stage and methods for studying global China.
The course outlines China's evolving role in global governance structures, its expanding footprint in international trade and investment, and its strategic partnerships and rivalries with other global powers. However, the main focus remains on the consequences of these changes for social, political, and economic relations within China. How does China’s extraversion affect the lives of people in China? How do the Chinese migrants in the forefront of their home country’s globalization understand their place in the world? Are labor relations in Chinese companies abroad different from labor relations at home, and is Chinese capital different from other global investment capital? Is ‘soft power’ a useful analytical concept to understand China’s role in the world? What has the expansionist moment meant for national identity and what will happen if it comes to a halt? These are some of the questions we tackle through critical analysis of primary sources, scholarly literature, and contemporary debates.