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Abstract
In the past few years, China has made dramatic foreign policy decisions that have changed both the global landscape and the behaviour of other states. To understand fully the possibilities and limitations of China's foreign policy, it is important to see its occurrences within geopolitical contexts. The main argument of this article is that geopolitical context must be theorised in order to understand the decisions of states. We define a political geography perspective within a world-systems analysis that creates a Space–Time matrix of context based on the core–periphery hierarchy of the capitalist world economy and economic and hegemonic cycles. Inspired by Chinese scholars and policymakers' periodisations of Chinese diplomacy, we develop a new periodisation of Chinese diplomatic cycles from 1840 to 2039. Using this new periodisation of Chinese diplomacy, we situate the changing nature of Chinese foreign policy within our Space–Time matrix. We then evaluate the possibilities and challenges of China's current foreign policy, with emphasis on the Belt and Road Initiative, by illustrating features of the contemporary geopolitical context. Finally, we discuss the implications of this for contemporary Chinese foreign policy.

"The China-EC/EU relationship started in 1975 and is a highly institutionalized, complex, but to some extent controversial international partnership. It is also challenged within the current unstable world. This book addresses the convergences and the differences (ideational, political, institutional, and interests-related) between China and the EU by a collective interaction between Chinese and European scholars. Amongst other things the book assesses sectoral bilateral dialogue, focuses on the interplay between internal complexity and external policies, discusses ideational divergences in international law and rule of law and in many relevant policy fields. Furthermore, it compares sustainable growth policies, explores trade and investment controversies and negotiations, human rights dialogue, and addresses environment and climate change policies. This text will be of key interest to EU studies and politics, China studies and more broadly to Area/Asian studies and International relations/Global Governance."--Provided by publisher

Beyond trade, investment, geostrategic and security challenges, as well as issues of connectivity and governance, the European Union-Asia Pacific dialogue has also boosted the involvement of civil society in international politics. The involvement of civil society can contribute to enhancing mutual trust and knowledge as well as democratization processes and channels for citizen participation in social issues that have an impact on people's lives. However, in the last decade, internal crises both in the EU and in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as a lack of political will on both sides to support the discussion of issues in non-official processes, seem to have slowed down the intensity of interregional interaction and cooperation between civil society organizations. This special issue of Cuadernos Europeos de Deusto (CED) / Deusto Journal of European Studies on "European Union-Asia Pacific social and cultural dialogue: involving civil society in interregional relations" aims to make a contribution to the knowledge and understanding of some of the major actors and factors that determine the evolution of social and cultural interregional dialogue.