CCCH9012 China: Culture, State and Society
China and World Order
Timetable for Lectures

Course Description

World order is shaped by the rise and fall of great powers in history. The rise of China in the 21st century will be one of such historic events reshaping the current world order. Measured in its comprehensive national capabilities, economic might, military power, and growing influence on a global scale, China is becoming a global superpower whose influence is felt in all corners of the world. However, the rise of China and its implications for the emerging world order are often viewed with suspicion and apprehension by other major powers. Whether China’s ascent will lead to a fundamental transformation of the existing international system dominated by the US is the single most important issue affecting the future of humanity. This course aims to examine competing perspectives about China’s rise and its impacts on world order. The key arguments and evidence about China’s economic and technological development, its relations with other great powers and its neighbors in Asia, its approach to global governance, and the evolving perspectives of its leadership, will be critically examined. Students are expected to learn how to develop a critical understanding of this complex issue and analyze it from different perspectives.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completing the course, students will be able to:

  1. Explain and analyze how world order is constructed in the international society and how the rise and fall of great powers in history have shaped world order.
  2. Examine the nature and course of China’s rise and how its development trajectory can be assessed from different angles.
  3. Understand the different perspectives on the rise of China and its implications for world order, both from inside and outside of China.
  4. Analyze the key factors that support or hinder China’s rise.
  5. Enhance their analytical and communicative skills in assessing scholarly arguments and empirical evidence about the changing world order.

Offer Semester and Day of Teaching

Second semester (Wed)

Study Load

Activities Number of hours
Lectures 24
Tutorials 12
Reading / Self-study 40
Preparation of tutorials 22
Assessment: Essay writing 22
Assessment: Presentation (incl preparation) 8
Total: 128

Assessment: 100% coursework

Assessment Tasks Weighting
Tutorials 30
Group presentation 20
Quiz 10
Short essays 40

Required Reading

  • Allison, G. (2017). China vs America: Managing the Next Clash of Civilizations. Foreign Affairs, 96(5), 80-89.
  • Economy, E. (2024). China’s Alternative Order and What America Should Learn from it. Foreign Affairs, 103(3), 8-24.
  • Mearsheimer, J. J. (2021). The Inevitable Rivalry: America, China, and the Tragedy of Great Power Politics. Foreign Affairs, 100(6).  From https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/china/2021-10-19/inevitable-rivalry-cold-war  
  • Rodrik, D., & Walt, S. M. (2022). How to Build a Better Order. Foreign Affairs, 101(5), 142-155. 
  • Shambaugh, D. (Ed.). (2020). China and the World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Ch. 1 “China’s Long March to Global Power”; Ch. 2 “Legacies of the Past”; Ch. 5 “China’s Foreign Policy Making Process”; Ch. 6 “China’s Global Economic Interactions”; Ch. 8 China’s Global Governance Interactions”; Ch. 10 “China’s Relations with eh United States”; Ch. 11 “China’s Relations with Russia”; Ch. 12 “China’s Relations with Europe”; Ch. 13 “China’s Relations with Asia”]
  • Wang, J. (2021). The Plot Against China? How China sees the New Washington Consensus. Foreign Affairs, 100(4), 48-57.
  • Yan, X. (2021). Becoming Strong: The New Chinese Foreign Policy. Foreign Affairs, 100(4), 40-47.
  • Zhao, S. (2018). A Revisionist Stakeholder: China and the Post-World War II World Order. Journal of Contemporary China, 27(113), 643-658.

Course Co-ordinator and Teacher(s)

Course Co-ordinator Contact
Professor P.T.Y. Cheung
Department of Politics and Public Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences		 Tel: 3917 2393
Email: tsyicheu@hku.hk
Teacher(s) Contact
Professor P.T.Y. Cheung
Department of Politics and Public Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences		 Tel: 3917 2393
Email: tsyicheu@hku.hk