Study On Chinese Overseas Interests Protection Approach From The Perspective Of International Institutions

As a part of national interests, overseas interests are immemorial rather than new. They generated gradually with the opening of the international exchanges process and developed constantly with the increase of the international exchanges density. In the era of globalization, overseas interests expand rapidly in various subject areas and different geographical regions, and they represent the main development trend of national interests. With the gradual promi-nence of non-traditional security issues, overseas interests protection has become a common problem faced by every country all over the world. Compared with China, the western great powers have more long history of overseas interests development and more rich experience of overseas interests protection. Overall, although China has produced some overseas interests since the beginning of the founding of the nation, Chinese overseas interests was developed actually after the reform and opening up. Since the new century, Chinese overseas interests has entered a new historical period of all-round, rapid and sustainable development.In recent years, Chinese overseas interests have developed rapidly. At the same time, they are facing multiple realistic threats and potential risks which stem from international system, different regions and other countries. Facing this situation, the Communist Party of China and the central government of China have raised the problem of overseas interests pro-tection to national strategic level gradually, not only make a series of strategic plans at the macro level, but also put forward some specific countermeasures at the micro level. Mean-while, the academia has increased research efforts to Chinese overseas interests, made some distinctive theoretical exploration. Regrettab-ly, most scholars make efforts to study the de-velopment situation, threat factors and specific loss of Chinese overseas interests in isolation, but rarely research the development and protection issues of Chinese overseas interests in grand historical vision and on lofty strategic level. In other words, the academia lacks histori-cal investigation, comparative analysis and strategic research to Chinese overseas interests. As an emerging great power whose overseas interests are developing rapidly, if China wants to enhance the legitimacy and effectiveness of overseas interests protection, it must solve the following problems firstly. Namely, Chinese overseas interests has gone through what kind of development process? Chinese overseas interests protection has taken what kinds of main measures and followed what kind of main logic? Chinese overseas interests protection has accumulated what kinds of historical experiences? Chinese overseas interests protection is facing what kinds of real problems and practical dilemmas?Based on the theoretical perspective of international institutions, we will follow the re-search approach of analytical eclecticism to analyze these problems. In the field of interna-tional relations theory, although realism, liberalism and constructivism all have done theoreti-cal researches on international institutions theory from different dimensions, they stick to their own theoretical assumptions, logical reasoning and causal mechanism, forming and curing the problems of incommensurability and paradigm estrangement between each other. In the field of international issues research, scholars were limited to one theory faction to use internation-al institutions theory usually, confined to the narrow vision of neoliberal institutionalism mainly. Therefore, they lacked enough theory courage and practice to break the paradigm es-trangement. In order to study the problem of Chinese overseas interests protection which is realistic, cutting-edge and complex, the dissertation will to try to follow the research approach of analytical eclecticism which are docking reality and restoring complexity. Firstly, the dis-sertation sets up the theoretical framework of full text, based on the analysis of the logic rela-tion between overseas interests and international institutions. We believe that international institutions have a causal role and a constructive role in overseas interests. In other words, international institutions could simultaneously affect the formation, development and protec-tion of overseas interests from the three dimensions of power, norm and identity. Secondly, the dissertation views the interactive relationship between China and international institutions as the main research line to investigate the main generation mechanism, basic development status and leading development logic of Chinese overseas interests within the three historical periods, namely, before reforming and opening up, after reforming and opening up and since the new century. Thirdly, the dissertation analyzes the main measures and main logic of chi-nese interests overseas protection within the three historical periods, namely, before reforming and opening up, after reforming and opening up and since the new century, which is through the ways of theoretical analysis, empirical investigation, and case research from the dimen- sions of power, norm and identity respectively. Finally, the dissertation expounds the histori-cal experiences, real problems and practical dilemmas of Chinese overseas interests protection, based on theoretical research, historical investigation and realistic analysis of Chinese over-seas interests protection approaches.The dissertation draws the following basic conclusions based on theoretical analyses and empirical investigations above-mentioned. We draw the following basic conclusions. First, there is a two-way interactive relationship between international institutions and country which could affect and construct each other. As a normative structure of international com-munity, international institutions can not only externally affect the subjective perception and objective practices of home countries which own overseas interests, but also inherently con-struct concept recognition, identity recognition and interest recognition between the home countries and host countries of overseas interests. In the international community which is based on international institutions, international institutions are not only effective tools for all countries to develop and protect their overseas interests, but also important overseas interests for some great powers which could fight for them usually. Second, it is historical and fluctu-ant of Chinese overseas interests development. Specifically, Chinese overseas interests have showed obvious differences in terms of their components, owners and domains within the three historical periods, namely, before reforming and opening up, after reforming and open-ing up and since the new century. That is to say, China has roughly achieved changes from focusing on domestic interests to attaching importance to both domestic interests and overseas interests, from focusing on overall overseas interests to attaching importance to both overall overseas interests and individual overseas interests, from focusing on overseas interests within high-level political domain to attaching importance to both overseas interests within high-level political domain and overseas interests within low-level political domain. Third, it is staged and discrepant of chinese overseas interests protection. Specifically, the basic con-cept, dominant strategy and specific means of Chinese overseas interests protection have fol-lowed the basic development logic which has changed correspondingly from power leading to norm embedding, and then to identity constructing within the three historical periods, namely, before reforming and opening up, after reforming and opening up and since the new century. Since the founding of China, it has accumulated many historical experiences and produced some practical problems in the practice of overseas interests protection. To be specific, China not only established strategic objectives reasonably, adjusted key tasks timely and changed specific means flexibly, but also owned backward ideas, narrow approaches and incomplete strategies. Fourth, Chinese overseas interests protection is caught in multiple realistic dilem-mas and faces many realistic threats and potential risks caused by lots of factors of interna-tional system, different regions and various domains. As an emerging power which is rising rapidly, China should not focus the strategic core and long-term goal of overseas interests protection on how to safeguard specific material benefits of overseas citizens and legal per-sons on the micro-level, but should place them on how to reduce power handicaps, institution constraints and culture differences which are stemmed from international system on the mac-ro-level. Fifth, China should learn historical experiences and practical patterns of overseas interests protection from traditional powers, should explore the appropriate approach of over-seas interests protection which could comply with the world development trend and accord with its own national conditions and national strength. Namely, China should uphold the stra-tegic thinking of "upgrade oneself, shape the world", follow the generic logic process of countries participating the international institutions system, do more in terms of participation, reform and creation of international institutions to expand the international institutions path of overseas interests protection constantly.