8. Conclusion

In the conclusion chapter, the book argues that the “International Leadership with Chinese Characteristics” (ILCC) provides a useful conceptual tool and is a contribution to supplement the existing Western-based IR concepts and theories on interpreting China’s role in international relations. By conducting the empirical verification of the ILCC and making a comparative assessment of the strength and weakness of the ILCC among the four selected cases, this chapter supposes that the different extent to which the ILCC is manifested in various issue-areas. However, the conclusion also points out the explanatory limitations of the ILCC in terms of its inapplicability of analyzing the issues related to China’s national core interests including national sovereignty, national security, and territorial integration.