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The Influence Of Public Opinion On China's Foreign Policy

Posted on:2011-08-09Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:X LuFull Text:PDF
GTID:2206360305992565Subject:International relations
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
Set under the "state-society relations" analysis framework and based on the broad background of China's social transformation since the adoption of the reform and opening up policy, this article lists the functions and features of China's public opinion in its foreign affairs, and analyses what effects public opinion would impose on the country's foreign policy making.The introduction presents the topic of the article:what are the effects of China's domestic public opinion on its foreign policy? The first chapter begins with the definition of the core concept, public opinion, then the existing literature at home and abroad on the topic.Chapter 2 reviews the historical change of the relations between China's public opinion and its foreign policy since the founding of PRC, followed with four characteristics of China's public opinion, namely diversified subject, differentiation between elite opinion and mass opinion, differentiation between public opinion and policy choice, and the irrational and stratified features of public opinion itself. The article continues to examine three main channels of connections between China's public opinion and its foreign policy:traditional media, new media, and opinion poll.Each of them bears different properties and acts in different ways. The third chapter discusses China's foreign policy under the new context of public opinion. In this chapter, elite opinion and mass opinion are respectively located in the inner circle and the outer circle of decision making, whose functioning channels, ways and significance are explored afterwards. The epilogue, basing on previous discussions, argues that, on one hand, public opinion is becoming increasingly important in China's foreign policy making, on the other hand, the government is loosing control of the domestic media and public opinion.Therefore, how to make effective use of the media and therefore lead public opinion, so as to provide support to the making and execution of foreign policy, is both a challenge and an objective to the Chinese government.
Keywords/Search Tags:public opinion, elite opinion, mass opinion, foreign policy
PDF Full Text Request
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