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In the past two decades, China has received the lion's share of direct foreign investment and has evolved from an insulated agrarian society into the world's second largest economy. Observers noted that China has recently become increasingly assertive, especially in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.¹ The emergence of a new Chinese superpower is having a profound impact not only on South-East Asia, but also on the role of the United States as the primary arbiter of the post-World War II order—the so-called Pax Americana.² History is rich with examples of conflicts between established and emerging powers, and China, as it seeks to assert its national interests, will in all likelihood challenge the United States' global leadership.³ Political scholars often cast international conflict in terms of economic or ideological struggles between powerful nations, but in today's interconnected world, where social media can ignite revolutions, it may be increasingly true that "the only remaining superpower is public opinion."⁴

DOI: 10.1057/9781137484390_10

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