Matthew Mosca, "From Frontier Policy to Foreign Policy: The Question of India and the Transformation of Geopolitics in Qing China," (Stanford University Press, 2013)

Between the mid-eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries, Qing rulers, officials, and scholars fused diverse, fragmented perceptions of foreign territory into one integrated worldview. In the same period, a single "foreign" policy emerged as an alternative to the many localized "frontier" policies hitherto pursued on the coast, in Xinjiang, and in Tibet. By unraveling Chinese, Manchu, and British sources to reveal the information networks used by the Qing empire to gather intelligence about its emerging rival, British India, this book explores China's altered understanding of its place in a global context. Far from being hobbled by a Sinocentric worldview, Qing China's officials and scholars paid close attention to foreign affairs. To meet the growing British threat, they adapted institutional practices and geopolitical assumptions to coordinate a response across their maritime and inland borderlands. In time, the new and more active response to Western imperialism built on this foundation reshaped not only China's diplomacy but also the internal relationship between Beijing and its frontiers. Qing Dynasty Foreign Policy Evolution Qing China's Integrated Worldview Qing Intelligence Networks on British India Chinese, Manchu, and British Historical Sources Qing Empire’s Response to Western Imperialism Maritime and Inland Border Strategies in Qing China Qing Frontier Policies vs. Unified Foreign Policy Diplomatic Relations Between China and British India 18th-19th Century Qing Geopolitical Adaptations Qing Empire's Understanding of Global Context Sinocentric Worldview vs. Foreign Affairs in Qing Era Institutional Changes in Qing Foreign Policy China's Maritime Border Defense Against Britain Qing Empire’s Strategy in Xinjiang and Tibet Beijing’s Coordination with Frontier Territories