| The development of official Sino-U.S. relations during the Cold War occurred in the shadow of an assertive Soviet power, when Washington and Beijing found common geopolitical ground in opposing Soviet expansion and overlooked longstanding political disagreements. The Soviet demise, however, put the United States and China on a new geostrategic footing, and the changing international environment forced Washington to approach China policy in a different context. What explains the evolution of congressional policymaking in U.S. policy toward China since the end of the Cold War? My review of legislation vis-a-vis China since 1992 revealed that congressional policy can be divided into four main issue areas: cross-strait relations, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, human rights, and trade. Each chapter explored congressional policy in each area through floor voting to explain congressional interests, how congressional policymaking evolved, and what domestic political factors influenced this legislation. The conclusions of this study provide insight into congressional policymaking and its potential future evolution, because China's growth had a profound influence on legislation. When China was relatively weaker, Congress was much more assertive in: (1) pursuing a separate relationship with Taiwan, (2) confronting China's proliferation activities, and (3) targeting perceived unfair trade practices that blocked American access to Chinese markets. As China's strength grew, however, Congress became: (1) much less active in cross-strait policymaking, (2) less prone to naming China as a proliferator, and (3) more focused on protecting American markets. The only issue area that appeared immune from this effect was human rights policy. This dissertation also shed light on the influence of domestic political factors on congressional policymaking. The only factor that influenced all four issue areas was the interbranch rivalry. Elections affected policymaking in cross-strait and trade policy, and partisan competition influenced policymaking in proliferation and human rights policy. These findings indicate that, while the struggle over policy control will generally affect congressional policymaking in all issue areas, upcoming elections are more likely to affect cross-strait relations and trade policy, and a politically divided White House and Congress are more likely to affect proliferation and human rights policy. |
