China's Position And Strategy Choice In International Regimes

After World War II, the nations created numerous international regimes in order to safeguard world peace, to promote global cooperation, to specify international behavior and to respond to global issues. Using international regimes to regulate and guide the international relations has become an important feature of the modern international relations. As a new power with rapid development, China has to cooperate with international regimes inevitably. How to position and how to make strategy in international regimes, is not only meaningful to China's development but also significant to world order. Therefore, it's important to study in China's position and strategy choice in international regimes.This paper introduces the role analysis methods. Use the notion of conception and expectation integrates the logic of power, interest and idea. This research is made on the interatoin of roles and regimes. An international regime usually contains several roles: patner, builder and leader. The responsibilities of them are creased. Exept these, there are also outlander and challenger around regimes. According to the nature of public goods as the regimes'output, we can divide all the international regimes into three types, standard-based, coordination-based and distribution-based. Every regime has its'equal preference on role structure in order to achieve the aims for the maximum benefit. On this basis, they give different roles to each actor as expectation. While the nation has its'own role preference as self-perception based on its power and goals. If the two ideas are consistent or compatible, the individual actor can successfully position. Meanwhile the nation's strategies in this regime can success. If not, the unit will encounter role conflict. To escape from this condition, the nation has to adjust or influence the cognitive or the expected variables in order to regain the position.Role analysis theory provides a clear way to study the strategy choice of China in international regimes. By looking through the history of China's participation in international regimes, we will find such a contradiction: In some regimes, China looksed forward to play a role of partner as a developing country; while in other regimes which can affect the world order, China hope to be a leader. Is China actually a great power or a developing one? Some existing regimes tend to give China more responsibility while some others prefer less. Is China an important builder or a slight follower?The developing China has very complicated strength. It's a developing country, but a great developing country, and also a responsible developing power. That's why it has to be treated in different ways in different international regimes. To make the cooperation happen, China has to coordinate concept and espectation. Here are the methods it can use: coordinating ideas, revising its own concept and influencing others'expectations. China's role positioning and playing made a great supply to this conclusion.Objective and scientific position is the basis of strategy choice for China. China's strategy choice should follow the logic of position, found on the basis of role analysis. The strategic objectives in an international regime must be work for China's national grand strategy. A role which can achieve the strategic objectives is the role that China is willing to play.At present, the role conflict China facing in international regimes can be divided into two kinds, hypothetical conflict and real conflict. The former is caused by opaque information, different standards and different cognitive to the international environments. It can be avoided by recognizing its existence and technical readjusting. The latter which can not be avoided is mainly caused by different concept and contradiction of interest between states and the regimes. It will cause conflict between the conception and expectation, and difficulties in positioning. China's strategy choice in international regimes needs to include an important step of coordinating these conflicts. The coordinating ways including: coordinating ideas by role study, regulating target in wise ways, affecting expectation by national image building. China should play three different roles: active partner who maintains peace and development idea, rational builder who advocates the regimes, positive leader who makes efforts to design ideal regime.China's strategy choice in international regimes should base on a complete positioning. First, according to strategic objectives and the strength acquire, China can get self-awareness of the role. Then, scientifically determine the expectations from the regime. The role they both allow ate China's position range. Successful position means that China can get a clear strategy options what restrict the responsibilities and the rights. At that time, the strategy choice should be the specific way to play this role. When we encounter inevitable role conflict, formulating a coordinated strategy to cover the conflict is necessary. When the concept or expectation changes. China's strategy should transform to achieve the new position.The United Nations covers various international regimes. China's corporation practice with them can offer a lot of certification to prove the reliability of this position logic. In United Nations peacekeeping regime, China is expected to be a builder which is just the role China wants to play. Therefore, China chooses to be an active builder. This choice made a good effect. In global climate change regime, China is facing double conflict between concept and the expectation. These cause hard cooperation. The necessary way to achieve international cooperation is to develop a coordinate role strategy immediately. In the United Nations Millennium Development Regime, China has experienced position changes. With the development of national strength, China can meet higher expectation as playing a more important role from the regime. As a result, China has chosen the lower role of partner to builder which belongs to higher level. Practice shows the possibility and necessity of such a strategy transformation.Sober concept, calm expectation judgment and effective coordination constitute a clear trade to position and to choose strategy in international regimes. This analysis logic can pave the way for China's strategy practice. It is conducive to achieve the maximum win-win situation between China and international regimes. It can also accelerate the development of both the world and China.