Peter W. Preston

China's growth as a major international superpower means that it is now more important than ever to understand how its politics work. Rejecting familiar discussions of China cast in terms of traditional culture, contemporary economic power or shifting official ideologies, this forward thinking work instead analyses the historically contingent mix of agents, ideas and institutions that make up the country's political life. This approach allows Sabrina Ching Yuen Luk and Peter W. Preston to pragmatically unpack the logic of contemporary politics in China. They trace the construction of the party-state system, note some of its major re-orientations and consider its present condition. The book also covers a range of hot policy topics including: internet sovereignty; the One Belt, One Road initiative; the South China Sea issue and the problems of the elderly empty nesters and left-behind children. Offering a detailed yet concise treatment of key social policy areas and other complex issues, this book will serve a broad audience of students, researchers and professionals, irrespective of discipline, along with all those with an interest in China or Chinese politics.

China's growth as a major international superpower means that it is now more important than ever to understand how its politics work. Rejecting familiar discussions of China cast in terms of traditional culture, contemporary economic power or shifting official ideologies, this forward thinking work instead analyses the historically contingent mix of agents, ideas and institutions that make up the country's political life. This approach allows Sabrina Ching Yuen Luk and Peter W. Preston to pragmatically unpack the logic of contemporary politics in China. They trace the construction of the party-state system, note some of its major re-orientations and consider its present condition. The book also covers a range of hot policy topics including: internet sovereignty; the One Belt, One Road initiative; the South China Sea issue and the problems of the elderly empty nesters and left-behind children. Offering a detailed yet concise treatment of key social policy areas and other complex issues, this book will serve a broad audience of students, researchers and professionals, irrespective of discipline, along with all those with an interest in China or Chinese politics.

This book examines migration in East Asia and Europe, exploring the circumstances of refugees, migrants and the role of law in order to explore how future flows of people can be better handled to the benefit of all concerned. Through discussions of the overall patterns of movement be they documented, undocumented, planned or unplanned, the book highlights the key problems facing those making these journeys, identifying typical responses to these issues through politics and policy. Utilising the records of flows of people in Europe and East Asia the book reveals the ways in which state elites have variously sought to control such movement. By demonstrating that there is no overarching international framework within which these issues can be tackled – not ideas, nor institutions or popular opinion – it concludes that there will always be differences of interpretation of nominally common responsibilities, just as there will always be flows of people. Revealing that patterns of movements are not simple whilst exploring the concerns that individual people, state authorities and international bodies express, this book will be a valuable resource to students and scholars of Asian Studies, Migration Studies and Politics.

In 1997 the British state relinquished control of Hong Kong. From that point an established prosperous community was faced with reordering its sense of itself and its links with the wider world around the authority of Beijing. This book traces the political relationship between Hong Kong and China, and sketches a number of possible future scenarios ranging from successful mutual understanding, through to breakdown and the imposition of rule from Beijing. Having lived and worked in East Asia, Peter Preston brings a sympathetic outsiders eye to the problems of Hong Kong and Beijing relations. He pursues four main issues including the manner of embedding a new political settlement, the business of governing the territory, the issue of democracy, and the likely future of the extant form of life. Students and scholars specialising in comparative politics, and international relations of East Asia will find this book to be of interest. It will also be of use to those addressing political conflict in that part of the world.

With the rise of industrial capitalism in Europe and the related imposition of colonial rule in much of East Asia, both Europe and East Asia have intertwined histories that continue to shape their political thinking and political decision making. The contemporary interactions of the two regions – now once again major trading partners – will both depend upon and facilitate deeper understandings of their respective sets of national pasts. This book compares national pasts as well as the current processes of change taking place in Europe and East Asia, including the dynamics of the European Union in Europe and the re-emergence of the historical centre of China in East Asia. It argues that as the change unfolds in the economic, social and political fields, the various national pasts embedded with the polities of the two regions will also need to be revisited and reworked. This book makes an invaluable contribution to research on comparative politics, as well as studies on South East Asia and Europe.

With the rise of industrial capitalism in Europe and the related imposition of colonial rule in much of East Asia, both Europe and East Asia have intertwined histories that continue to shape their political thinking and political decision making. The contemporary interactions of the two regions – now once again major trading partners – will both depend upon and facilitate deeper understandings of their respective sets of national pasts. This book compares national pasts as well as the current processes of change taking place in Europe and East Asia, including the dynamics of the European Union in Europe and the re-emergence of the historical centre of China in East Asia. It argues that as the change unfolds in the economic, social and political fields, the various national pasts embedded with the polities of the two regions will also need to be revisited and reworked. This book makes an invaluable contribution to research on comparative politics, as well as studies on South East Asia and Europe.

This text provides a wide-ranging overview of the development experience of Japan within Pacific Asia and the wider global political system. P W Preston maps Japan's shift into the modern world through a series of breaks in which Japanese polity was embedded within the wider dynamics of political-cultural and geo-economic change in the developing global system. He then charts Japan's particular development experience through four distinct historical phases before exploring the major issues in the study of modern Japan. The book examines the prospects for an increasingly integrated regional bloc in Pacific Asia in relation to the United States and the European Union. A number of underlying themes include the intellectually contested nature of Pacific Asia, the extent to which it is possible to speak of a distinctive model of development, and the implications of Japan's rise to regional and global power for future political and policy analysis. Understanding Modern Japan will be essential reading for all students and researchers seeking a deeper understanding of the contemporary Japan, Pacific Asia and the dynamics of global politics more broadly.

This interdisciplinary book overviews political and cultural identity in the context of changes across the political landscape. These changes - from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the recent Islamic revival - have profoundly altered the received ideas that define political cultures throughout the world. In this context the author draws together the diverse strands of literature to throw light on the impact on identity of a changing global environment. Peter Preston analyzes political, cultural and economic identities which lie at the centre of individual actions and social structure. This analysis is fleshed out by a detailed examination of specific regional cases, including: the realignment of Europe; the sharp rise of Pacific Asia; and the Americas after NAFTA.