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The so-called "global commons" are parts of the world that are beyond the territorial boundaries of nation-states and are shared by all. They are areas such as Antarctica, the high seas, outer space, and the atmosphere-- with some considering cyberspace a manmade global commons. This study examines the role that People's Republic of China (PRC) is playing in supporting or challenging longstanding approaches to managing these shared global areas. Since the global commons are all important to the planetary environment but are also critical channels for international trade, information flows and the global projection of military capabilities, what a newly powerful PRC does in these arenas is a critical question for the future of the global environment and world politics. The analysis draws its insights in large part from a comparison of China's recent behavior in the high seas and outer space, using an examination of the perspectives of policy-oriented Chinese experts to interpret this behavior.

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This page is a summary of: An Uncommon Approach to the Global Commons: Interpreting China's Divergent Positions on Maritime and Outer Space Governance, The China Quarterly, June 2019, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/s0305741019000730.
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