China has become active in peacebuilding and conflict mediation

China's view on the sanctity of state sovereignty has slowly but inexorably been transformed, and the country has found it difficult to continue to adhere to the principles of non-interference and non-intervention with the same degree of rigour as during the Cold War era.

 

 

This special section of ‘The China Quarterly’ explores what the principles mean to China today, why and how Beijing has become active in peacebuilding and conflict mediation, and what implication China's approach to the principles has for its position in the global liberal order.

 

 

This Introductory article co-authored by Miwa Hirono, Yang Jiang and Marc Lanteigne sets the scene by firstly demonstrating that defining the principles has always been a political act, and secondly offering new discussions about how China's expanding economic power forced the country to more actively engage in politics of conflict-affected regions. Finally, it offers a conceptual framework to explain why and how China has become increasingly active in peacebuilding and conflict mediation.