How China Sees the World: Insights From China’s International Relations Scholars (original) (raw)

The study of Chinese scholars in foreign policy analysis: an emerging research program

The Pacific Review, 2020

A review of studies of China's foreign policy reveals three dominant methods: the area studies approach, the IR theory method, and the integrated approach. We suggest that it is time to pay close attention to an emerging research program focusing on the study of Chinese international relations (IR) scholars, especially their internal debates, as a new venue to understand China's foreign policy. Although Chinese IR scholars are normally quoted as valuable sources in the study of Chinese foreign policy in general, there is no systematic study of China's IR scholars per se. In order to transform the study of Chinese IR scholars to a full-fledged research program, researchers need to pursue theoretical innovations on the relationship between different types of IR scholars and foreign policy inquiries, advance multi-method research designs across the different methods of field interviews, textual analysis, and opinion surveys, as well as encourage international collaboration between Chinese scholars and non-Chinese scholars.

China’s Strategic Futures: Debating the Post-American World Order

Asian Survey, 2012

This essay examines how China’s “harmonious world” foreign policy has unintentionally created opportunities for citizens to challenge elite discussions of foreign policy. Although they are relative outsiders, the essay argues that citizen intellectuals are a growing influence as a source of ideas about China’s future—and the world’s future.

China's Rise and the 'Chinese dream' in International Relations Theory

Global Change, Peace & Security Journal, 2015

The rise of China/East Asia and the perceived decline of the US/West pose an emerging question about how international relations (IR) theory should respond to this change. Increasingly, there have been heated discussions among Chinese IR academics over a desirable Chinese contribution to IR theory (IRT), particularly the possibility of building a distinctive Chinese IRT. Inevitably, this drive towards theorizing from a Chinese perspective also creates a backlash among not only Western but also other Chinese scholars as they question the ‘nationalistic’ if not ‘hegemonic’ discourse of the scholarship. Drawing on the sociology of scientific knowledge framework, this article examines the linkages between the vibrant dynamics of the Chinese theoretical debates and the actual practices of Chinese scholars in realizing their claims. It suggests that this investigation can serve as a springboard into a better appreciation of the theory–practice and power–knowledge relationships in the context of Chinese IR.

Asian Thought on China's Changing International Relations (Palgrave, 2014; ISBN9781137299321), 272pp

At the end of the Cold War, commentators were pondering how far Western ideas would spread in an international environment defined by 'the end of history'. Today, the debate seems to be how far Chinese ideas will reach. This innovative edited volume goes beyond the conventional focus on China's bilateral relations, in a bid to identify the extent to which China's nascent rise has provoked fresh geo-strategic and intellectual shifts within Asia. Offering a unique discussion of the evolution of Chinese schools of International Relations and the reactions of China's Asian partners to the practices of its international interactions, the contributors to this volume seek to explain and understand the relational nature of China's international outreach in the full spectrum of its unabridged complexity, contingency, and contradictions.

The Evolution of China's Foreign Policy: An Analysis on Strategic Shifts

As one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies, China’s actions on the global level have far-reaching implications for both regional and global security, economic stability, and international relations. China’s influential role internationally has significantly risen in the last couple of decades. It’s not surprising that its behavior at the UN Security Council is under increased worldwide observation and examination. By analyzing its foreign policy conduct, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive understanding on how China perceives the international community, how it interacts with it, and what implications its behavior may have for the future of global governance. Beijing’s diplomacy has undergone significant changes before and after Xi Jinping's presidency.

Tung Chieh Tsai - Alexis Littlefield - China’s foreign policy - Realpolitik or something new - 2011

Acutely alarmed by its diminishing international clout in the late 2oth century, China embarked on economic reforms that not only saved the economy and its political elites, but also gave the state more confidence and power to meliorate its international position. Moreover, because of its geographic position and traditional regional influence, any changes in China's foreign policy would lead to reactions among East Asian countries. In this review of China's foreign policy, we focus on how it has changed over time while addressing four questions: Is the guiding principle of China's foreign policy, idealism, Realpolitik or something else? Is China's primary goal in the new millennium purely economic development or regional hegemony? Will increasing regional influence of a rising China increase the likelihood of war or consolidate peace? Does China practice its own unique brand of foreign policy? Finally, we discuss China's evolving foreign policy and its future trajectory.

Great (Power) Expectations: Charting the Evolution of Chinese Foreign Policy

MacroPolo, 2020

Messaging trends in People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party's official mouthpiece, can reflect changes in official views and policies. Data on three questions related to COVID-19 diplomacy sheds light on changing perspectives in Beijing: 1) Does China want to play a larger role in the world? 2) Does China want to inject its norms into global politics? 3) Did China’s assertive diplomacy begin with Xi Jinping?