This work tries to answer these questions by analyzing China’s changing policy on the principle of national sovereignty and international military intervention, especially since the end of
the Cold War era. The result is of course a much more complex picture than the one painted by the Western media: Beijing’s interpretation of national sovereignty is by no means static,
despite all its conservative rhetoric. In addition, China has increasingly acquiesced to some forms of international military intervention, while continuing to oppose it in certain cases.
Although there are some visible red lines, there seems to be no ideologically-driven Chinese strategy on international intervention. Beijing rather seems to follow a pragmatic approach of muddling through (mosuo, 摸索), testing a number of different approaches in order to find the best possible way to promote its interests.
This thesis is structured as follows: Chapter 2 provides an analysis of the general development of Chinese foreign policy since the end of the Cold War era. This chapter focuses especially on the issues and motivations that have dominated Chinese foreign policy in the past twenty years. It starts with a brief analysis of the Chinese foreign policy decision-making process and of the Chinese foreign policy think tank landscape. Chapter 3 looks into China’s changing position on the principle of national sovereignty. The chapter also discusses the historical development of the principle of national sovereignty, and the factors constraining and conducing change in the Chinese position towards it. Chapter 4 examines Beijing’s changing approach to international intervention. To illustrate this approach, two concepts of international military intervention will be examined: UN Peacekeeping Operations and a new concept, the Responsibility to Protect. The analysis of China’s position on these concepts will employ a mix of discourse analysis (comprising official statements and unofficial foreign policy elite views) and policy analysis. Thus following a Chinese saying, ‘listen to their words, and watch their actions’ (ting qi yan, guan qi xing, 聽其言, 觀其行). Finally, a summarization of the
findings and the corresponding conclusions can be found in chapter 5. The chapter ends with some policy recommendations for Western foreign policy decision-makers.
Table of Contents
1 Preface
2 Chinese foreign policy after the Cold War
2.1 Actors and foreign policy decision-making processes
2.1.1 Party and government actors
2.1.2 Think Tanks and foreign policy elite
2.2 Development of Chinese foreign policy after the Cold War
2.3 Competing goals and motivations
2.3.1 Regime survival, economic development, nationalism
2.3.2 Image policy: China’s ‘Peaceful Rise’
2.4 Conclusion: Muddling through
3 China’s approach to sovereign change
3.1 The ‘New Sovereignty’ debate
3.2 China’s changing position
3.3 Factors constraining change
3.3.1 Traditional Chinese conceptions of sovereignty
3.3.2 Official PRC historiography and nationalism
3.3.3 Example: The Taiwan conflict
3.4 Factors conducive to change
3.4.1 Growing global economic and political interests
3.4.2 China’s international socialization
3.4.3 Example: Flexibility in border disputes
3.5 Conclusion: Mixed signals
4 China’s changing position on international intervention
4.1 UN Peacekeeping Operations
4.1.1 Definition and controversies
4.1.2 Historical development
4.1.3 China’s changing policy on UN PKO
4.1.4 Foreign policy elite analysis
4.1.5 Conclusion
4.2 The Responsibility to Protect (R2P)
4.2.1 From Humanitarian Intervention to R2P
4.2.2 China’s policy on R2P
4.2.3 Foreign policy elite analysis
4.2.4 Conclusion
4.3 Conclusion: Limited progress
5 Conclusion
Research Goals and Core Themes
This thesis examines the evolution of China's foreign policy approach toward international intervention and national sovereignty in the post-Cold War era. It explores the central research question of how domestic factors, primarily the Chinese Communist Party's quest for regime survival, influence Beijing's policy decisions regarding multilateral military interventions, particularly within the frameworks of UN Peacekeeping Operations and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P).
- The primary motivation of CCP regime survival through rapid economic development.
- The impact of nationalism and China's historical "victim narrative" on foreign policy.
- China's pragmatic "muddling through" approach to sovereignty and intervention.
- The changing role of China in international institutions and the process of international socialization.
- The comparative analysis of China's stance on UN Peacekeeping versus the Responsibility to Protect.
Excerpt from the Book
3.3.2 Official PRC historiography and nationalism
The ‘master narrative’ of PRC historiography goes somewhat like this: The British attack on China in the First Opium War marked the beginning of a century of national humiliation (bainian guochi, 百年國恥) for the once mighty Chinese nation. It was repeatedly beaten militarily by the Western aggressors and Japan. China was forced to sign several unequal treaties, losing large parts of its territory (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Outer Manchuria, Qingdao, etc.) and parts of its national sovereignty to foreigners (for example, it lost the right to collect customs duties, an important component of a country’s economic sovereignty). China became a kind of ‘semi-colony’, while the foreign imperialists continued to ‘carve the Chinese melon’ (guafen, 瓜分). The Chinese people resisted heroically, but victory was denied because of the incompetence and corruption of successive Qing and Republican governments. After the First World War, China was betrayed by the West when Japan was allowed to retain control over Taiwan and was even granted authority over the formerly German-occupied Shandong peninsula as part of the Treaty of Versailles (1919). But the determined and heroic resistance, led by the CCP, finally succeeded in driving the last remaining foreign aggressor (Japan), out of China. The Communist victory in the Chinese civil war and the founding of the PRC on 1 October 1949 marked the end of the century of national humiliation.
Summary of Chapters
1 Preface: This section introduces the research topic and sets the context for China's shifting stance on international intervention since the end of the Cold War.
2 Chinese foreign policy after the Cold War: This chapter analyzes the primary goals and actors influencing China's foreign policy, emphasizing the overarching objective of regime survival.
3 China’s approach to sovereign change: This chapter examines how China's interpretation of national sovereignty has evolved, balancing traditional conservative views with pragmatic adjustments.
4 China’s changing position on international intervention: This chapter provides a detailed analysis of China's shifting attitudes toward UN Peacekeeping Operations and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P).
5 Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes the findings, reiterating that China’s approach is a pragmatic and complex strategy of "muddling through" designed to protect the CCP's political power.
Keywords
China, Foreign Policy, National Sovereignty, International Intervention, Regime Survival, CCP, UN Peacekeeping, Responsibility to Protect, R2P, Nationalism, Pragmatism, Multilateralism, International Socialization, Sovereignty, Modernization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research?
The thesis investigates how and why China’s approach to international intervention has evolved since the end of the Cold War, specifically analyzing the tension between national sovereignty and global norms.
What are the primary themes addressed in the work?
Key themes include the priority of CCP regime survival, the role of nationalism, China's international socialization, and the pragmatic adjustment of foreign policy to accommodate economic growth.
What is the primary research question?
The study seeks to understand what motivates the Chinese leadership's policy decisions regarding international military intervention and what these decisions reveal about the broader trajectory of Chinese foreign policy.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The research employs a mix of policy analysis and discourse analysis, examining official government statements, academic publications by the Chinese foreign policy elite, and secondary literature to understand the nuances of China's stance.
What is covered in the main section of the thesis?
The main part of the work provides a detailed analysis of China's historical and ideological foundations, its changing interpretation of sovereignty, and an in-depth case study of its involvement in UN Peacekeeping and its evolving stance on R2P.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Central keywords include China's foreign policy, regime survival, national sovereignty, international intervention, and the pragmatic "muddling through" strategy.
How has China's stance on UN Peacekeeping changed?
China has evolved from a staunch opponent of all forms of intervention to a proactive and significant contributor, driven by a desire for international status and the need to protect its economic interests.
Why did China's support for the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) cool down?
While initially supporting the concept, Beijing later became wary of its potential to undermine national sovereignty, fearing it could be used as a tool to threaten the party-state's domestic control and justify foreign interference.
- Quote paper
- Oliver Bräuner (Author), 2009, Chinas Changing Approach to International Intervention, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/144281
