FROM THE PUBLISHER

As a new millennium beckons, so too - as a growing consensus would have it - does a new century: the Pacific Century. With the focus of global industrial production gravitating increasingly towards the Pacific in recent years, and with the growth rates registered by the newly industrializing countries of East and South East Asia comfortably surpassing anything achieved by Western countries at any time in history, the Pacific Rim is attracting ever more international attention. A good example of the growing influence exercised by the region in global affairs is provided by the fact that as pressures mount in their own more mature industrialized countries, Western leaders are 'discovering' solutions to their social and economic problems in East Asian role models - witness the desire of the United Kingdom to remodel itself as 'the enterprise centre of Europe' by looking to Singapore and Hong Kong for ideas. The appeal of the formulation 'Pacific Century' is clear and compelling. So, too, is the need for continued critical analysis of the reasons underlying the emergence of the Asia Pacific as an economic superpower, and the need for judicious evaluation of the likely shape and character of the region's future development. The present collection of essays has been compiled with such considerations in mind. Specifically, the aim of this collection is to illuminate key areas of debate concerning the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong and Taiwanhere collectively referred to as Greater China - in the belief that the destiny of the Pacific Rim as a whole will be decisively influenced by economic and political developments in this particular region. The topics covered in this volume range from the political economy of Greater China to the impact of culture and of inward investment on the region's economic prospects. The conclusions arrived at by the various contributors offer different perspectives on the outlook for Greater China as the much heralded 'Pacific Age' da

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