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Nationalism And Chinese Foreign Policy In The Post-Cold War Era: A Negation Of The "China Threat"

Posted on:2010-11-19Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:H N R a s a m i m a n a n a MiFull Text:PDF
GTID:2166360272999026Subject:World History
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
Arguments in the West over the existence of a"China threat"frequently atomize and even demonize China, as Peter Hays Gries points out at the beginning of his book,"China's new nationalism: Pride, politics and diplomacy"(Gries, Peter Hays;, 2004). Is Chinese nationalism benign or malign? The rise of Chinese nationalism in recent times has become an issue of great interest and importance to the world because of concerns over China's intentions as economic growth propels the country's ascendance onto the world stage.But China's new nationalism is nothing like the Nazi movement in pre-second world war Germany. It may be a tool to legitimize Communist Party rule domestically, and a motive for creating a better image of China in the contemporary international society. But it also has a genuine popular base and emotional content. What matters is how Chinese leadership is handling that popular nationalism and whether it has a stance in the foreign policy making process.This paper examines nationalism and its stance on Chinese foreign policy in the post-cold war era, a subject hitherto wrongly assessed by western scholars of China. First, it addresses the debate on the concept of nationalism, the myth and the realities linked to its diverse manifestations. Examining nationalist movements in world history, it draws the causal mechanisms between nationalistic sentiments and separatisms, wars and economic reforms. The aim is to demonstrate whether those causal mechanisms can work or not on Chinese nationalism specific case. Second, it examines the origin and impact of nationalism on Chinese foreign policy, revealing both changes and continuities from the Maoist period to the present time. It finally demonstrates that China is not nationalistic in the sense of the"China threat theory", but rather wants to fulfill its national interests in a"harmonious world". To do so, it examines the rhetoric and the agenda of Chinese foreign policy in the 90s, taking as specific cases the Belgrade Embassy in 1991, the lost Olympics bid in 2000, and the United States plane crash incident in Hainan in 2001. As for theoretical framework, the study draws on both Peter Gourevitch's theory of second image reversed and domestic politics in international relations theoryThis consistency in the Chinese foreign policy motive is due to consistent leadership norms: assuring legitimacy domestically and assuring a"peaceful development"for China in a"harmonious world".
Keywords/Search Tags:Nationalism, China Threat theory, Leadership norms consistency
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