Suchergebnisse

In contemporary China a cacophony of voices urges decision makers to pursue a variety of foreign policies. The continuing pluralization of Chinese society and China's growing interdependence with the international order have made decision-making processes more complex. These changes, taking place at a time when China's cooperation is increasingly vital to the resolution of key global issues, present a challenge to foreign policy makers. Effective engagement of China in the international arena requires an understanding of the interplay within and between not only the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese Government and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) but also new foreign policy actors on the margins of the traditional power structure. These new actors include resource companies, financial institutions, local governments, research organizations, the media and netizens. These three trends, fractured authority, varying views of the degree to which China should internationalize and the demands that China defend its core interests, are changing the nature of Chinese foreign policy formulation and the way China interacts with the outside world. Only by persistently engaging a broad spectrum of Chinese foreign policy actors, recognizing the variations in their perspectives and concerns, and integrating them into engagement strategies can foreign policy makers succeed in securing China's cooperation

Internal debates continue in China and abroad about the meaning and significance of Chinese President Xi Jinping's position on a new Asian regional security order. Some observers insist that a strongly worded May 2014 speech Xi delivered in Shanghai reflects China's intensified determination to exercise an increasingly assertive posture toward the United States. Others suspect that such rhetoric is largely designed for internal consumption to appeal to nationalist sentiments about the need for China to stand up to the United States and take a leadership role in the region. Such differences in interpretation are extended to discussions about China's attitudes toward the United States' continued strategic presence in Asia and about Washington's maintenance of its long‐standing alliance network there. The truth is that a combination of Chinese aspirations for shaping a new regional security architecture tempered by the realities and constraints of what China can actually do at this point in time must be acknowledged by both Chinese policymakers and their foreign counterparts.

What does China's rise mean for Australia's future? China's meteoric growth over the last thirty years has seen the country transformed into a prosperous and powerful nation. As Australia's largest trading partner and signatory to a recent Free Trade Agreement, China's future is undeniably linked with our own. So how will China's domestic issues affect its relationship with Australia? Will China's demand for Australian goods and services continue to grow? Can the Communist Party continue its balancing act of expanding its middle class while cracking down on free speech and intensifying censorship? Will it make the leap to a green and high-tech economy? How will it use its growing power, regionally and globally? China Matters is a concise, up-to-date overview of what is happening in China right now, and the implications for Australia. Written by Australia-based, internationally renowned China-watchers Linda Jakobson and Bates Gill, this nuanced account examines the country's unique tensions and contradictions, and considers what Australia can do to best shape our relationship with the emerging superpower. China Matters is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the consequences of strengthening ties with and doing business in a changing and increasingly powerful China

AbstractThe growing number of actors involved in China's international activities has led to fractured authority in foreign policy decision‐making. Actors vie for the attention of senior officials to promote their interests on any specific issue. As a result, decision making is often a slow process; there are multiple channels of information, and actors appeal to public opinion to support their claims. Since 2012, Xi Jinping has taken charge of all foreign policy related decision‐making bodies in what appears to be an attempt to improve coordination of interest groups. A slight shift to a more personified foreign policy than during the Hu or Jiang eras has also taken place. In this paper, we describe how foreign policy decisions should be made in China according to formal rules; next, we take into account the reality of how the Chinese political system deals with China's evolving international role. We conclude by assessing the risks of fragmentation, on the one hand, and Xi's efforts to recentralise foreign policy, on the other hand.