National Identity Theory And China's Social-identity Construction As A Responsible Power

Ideal factor is not only an intervening variable which influences country's foreign behavior but, in deep level, a main variable which constructs and decides the material factors. National identity is an important ideal variable which influences national foreign policy. National identity decides the definition of national interest which decides national foreign behavior. In general, national identity includes national inherent identity and social identity which refers to a stable model of social relations, which must be understood and identified by other members with which one country interacted gradually in international society. Through this model, the country recognizes its international status, international role and relations with international society on the basis of self-understanding. This identity is a kind of social relation which not only learned in interaction but sustained by it. This relation of inter-states is constructed by social shared ideas formed and shaped by this interaction. National identity is constructed by internal structure of state and international external structure. Social identity evolves in the process of interaction among nations by mutual imitation and learning. Social shared ideas formed in this process construct the structure of international system which constitutes national identity and interest. China's national identity has been experiencing several changes since 1949, which has conversions from one member of socialism family to a revolutionary country of the third world, from a revolutionary country outside international system to one member of international society, from a formal member of international society to a responsible great power in international society under the overall influence of international system, domestic system and decision-makers. As a new social identity, a responsible great power is constructed gradually in the interaction between China and other members in the international society. This identity as a responsible great power reflects a profound change of relations between China and international system. On the one hand, this reflects that China is determined to play a role as active and responsible defender, participant and builder of the international system. On the other hand, this shows that China recognizes its international duties and responsibilities more clearly and shoulders more corresponding international responsibilities for safeguarding the world peace and promoting common development while maintaining and developing its own national interest. Since the mid-1990s of last century, with the rapid promotion of comprehensive national power and with the increasing enhancement of international influence, China has actively begun to construct its identity as a responsible great power in international society from both ideal levels and practical levels. In the first place, China proposes a series of international ideas which conforms to international law and universally recognized norms of international relations and the basic international morality in the ideal level, which declares that it will identify positively with the international society and pursue the target to construct a kind of ideal future world with the understanding and the cognition of international responsibility. In the second place, China, in practice, undertakes actively international responsibilities in the international security, environment, economy and trade and so on. In this process China strengthens positively the cooperation with the developed countries while enhancing actively relations with developing countries to promote the common development. This change is responded positively by the international society. China adjusts constantly its foreign policy to respond the positive and negative feedback of the international society with the more closely interaction between China and the international society. With China playing a more constructive role in a global scale, the identity as a responsible great power is identified and accepted gradually by the international society.