<DIV>The Chinese province of Yunnan has been undergoing a dynamic process of repositioning, from a Southwestern periphery of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to a “bridgehead” between China and its neighbors in Southeast and South Asia. This repositioning has found expression in ideas about the province's geopolitical positioning, policy frameworks, involvement in transborder institutions, infrastructure development and commerce. <br><BR>The author traces this process and its implications, demonstrating the extent of provincial agency in reform-era China and the growing global importance of "'south-south" economic and commercial interactions. The introductory chapters overview China's changing global relationships, summarize Yunnan's history and key elements in its regional and global interactions and outline the development since the 1980s of ideas concerning Yunnan's geopolitical positioning. The next three chapters consider three main areas of political economy in turn: transnational institutions, infrastructure and transport development and regional and bilateral ties between Yunnan and Southeast and South Asia.</div>