This edited volume contributes to debates about China’s influence, and explores three specific themes in the context of global China: the effects of (un)intentional influence and influence externalities; the role of intermediaries, the sub-state and non-state actors that are conduits for influence; and the conditioning effects of host country institutions.

The work advances conversation of public and academic interest by problematizing existing conceptualizations of China’s influence and offering a fresh approach. Existing research has paid surprisingly little systematic attention to how local, national, and global factors outside of China–and beyond its control–condition whether and how China’s investments in global influence bear fruit. A central claim of the book is that scholars need to pay more careful attention to how these external factors create unexpected consequences for influence-seeking states. This book explores three specific themes in the context of global China: the effects of (un)intentional influence and influence externalities; the role of intermediaries, the sub-state and non-state actors that are conduits for influence; and the conditioning effects of host country institutions.

This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Asian Studies, Politics, Regional Studies, and International Relations.