Since the 1980's China has been undergoing a process of unprecedented economic, diplomatic, and military growth that positions it in the vanguard of the world's superpowers and the most dominant force in Asia. Many in China perceive that process as the rectifying of a historical distortion and a return to the proper world and cosmic order. In the accepted traditional view, the Chinese Empire – "the Middle Kingdom" - has always been the political, cultural, and economic center, surrounded by satellite nations and political entities that acknowledged the hegemony of China and their subordination to its emperor. Nevertheless, beginning in the nineteenth century, China entered a long and turbulent era of internal fighting, foreign invasions, and social unrest resulting in internal decay and a sharp decline in its prominent international standing. Therefore, the turning-point in its international position during recent decades should be examined in the context of the sharp contrast between the traditional perception of its status and its place in the world, and the crisis it underwent at the beginning of the modern era. The course will examine China's role in the political arena in Asia, the impact of its cultural and historical heritage on its relations with neighboring countries, and its policies in various Asian arenas: the South China Sea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia, Central Asia, and the Muslim world.