The panel aims to offer four different complementary perspectives of contemporary China. The particular interests of the panelist as Latin American researchers mark these perspectives. The urbanization of the population as a tool to reduce social disparities is the framework of the first presentation; this one analyzes trends in the distribution of population among provinces, highlighting the transition from a rural society to a predominantly urban; on this basis, the author evaluates both the socio- economic disparities and the dimension of the challenge faced by Chinese authorities to maintain social stability.

In the second presentation, the author takes away from the liberal view that the expansion of the market economy leads to political liberalization and gets a principle of Chinese culture that privileges the binomial "wealth and power;" economic successes and global projection of China function as factors of legitimacy of authorities, allowing to explain the political system transformations and its adaptation to changing domestic and international contexts.

The third presentation explores the China-Japan bilateral relationship, on the basis of the legal status of Okinawa and during three historical moments. The author shows that in each of these periods, the territory of Okinawa has passed from the sovereignty of a State to another, depending not only on the balance of power between them, but also on the interplay of interests between Western powers, highlighting the United States.

The fourth presentation analyzes the rise of China as a global power. The author considers the construction of a national identity, combined with the construction of a material power, explains the consolidation of the Chinese state; this one has established itself as a global power after going through three stages, as passive observer of the international system; as participant subject to existing international rules; as actor with the capacity to influence global rules and institutions.