China’s Evolving Role in Three Dimensions of Global Public Affairs

China’s evolving role in global public affairs has attracted growing scholarly attention, yet existing studies have largely focused on its overarching principles and strategic approaches. There remains a notable gap in exploring the shifts in the dimensions of global public affairs China has prioritized at different stages. This study addresses this gap by inductively identifying three distinct dimensions of global public affairs—allocation of scarce global resources, regulation of cross-border activities, and provision of global public goods—based on China’s historical trajectory of engagement since 1949. Using this typology, the paper categorizes China’s global governance participation into three phases: an early focus on resource distribution and sovereignty (1949–1970), subsequent expansion in transnational regulatory regimes (1971–2011), and a recent turn toward leadership in global public goods provision (2012–2022). The study further analyzes the domestic and international drivers behind these shifts, highlighting how China’s evolving governance philosophy, national capabilities, and structural opportunities within the global system have shaped its changing priorities. Additionally, this paper situates these evolutionary patterns within the broader context in Post-COVID-19 era across the three dimensions of global public affairs, identifying emerging challenges within each domain. The concluding section proposes institutional pathways to enhance China’s effectiveness in engaging with the evolving global governance system.