CHINA’S ROLE IN EAST ASIA DURING POST-COLD WAR ERA: AN ANALYSIS FROM UNEVEN AND COMBINED DEVELOPMENT

In the post-Maoist era, a new approach was introduced in China, which opened China’s markets for foreign investments besides harvesting cordial relations, especially with its neighbours. It helped China emerge as a global power to such a level where the US regards China as a potential competitor. To protect its strategic interests in the East Asian region, the US has introduced a ‘Pivot to Asia’ policy posing a direct threat to China’s trade passing through the South China Sea routes. China has already embarked upon an intercontinental connectivity initiative known as One Belt One Road to bypass the US presence in East Asia. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor is its flagship project which allows China to diversify its trade routes and decrease its dependence on the South China Sea. This paper, therefore, investigates China’s behavioural change in East Asia, especially in the post-Cold War era, by applying the theory of Uneven and Combined Development presented by Leon Trotsky. It aims to understand the US policy of containment of China in East Asia and significance of Pakistan in the Chinese approach towards reducing external pressures.   Bibliography Entry Jibran, Ali. 2021. "China’s Role in East Asia during Post-Cold War Era: An Analysis from Uneven and Combined Development." Margalla Papers 25 (1): 36-47.