Poised to become the dominant Asia-Pacific power, China yet remains an elusive international player. In this timely text, Denny Roy shows how the drive for security and power underlying Chinese foreign policy is reinforced by other important factors, including China's internal political struggles and unique, historically driven perceptions of international affairs. Providing a wide-ranging assessment of China's foreign policy, the author explores the PRC's relationships with key international organizations and countries, including the United States, Japan, Russia, Korea, India, and the Southeast Asian states. Roy also examines the broad implications of Beijing's outward orientation: its increasing economic interdependence with foreign consumers and suppliers, its struggle to cope with the challenges of globalization, and the People's Liberation Army's aspiration to build China into a world-class military power. The author concludes by analyzing the possibility of a "China threat" to the Asia-Pacific region and identifying key issues that will influence the future direction of Chinese foreign policy.