Forgotten Diplomacy

"In this meticulously researched volume, Vincent Chang resurrects a near forgotten yet pivotal chapter of Dutch-Chinese ties to narrate how World War II, China's civil war, and Indonesia's decolonization reshaped and ultimately redefined this age-old bilateral relationship. Drawing on a wealth of hitherto-unexplored archives, this book explains how China's rise on the global stage and the Netherlands' simultaneous decline as a Pacific power informed events in Dutch-controlled Indonesia (and vice versa) and prompted a complete recalibration of bilateral ties, culminating in the Netherlands' recognition of the People's Republic and laying the foundations for its current 'One-China' policy. Presenting insightful analyses of power dynamics and law, this book is a critical resource to historians and China specialists as well as scholars of international relations and international law"--