History, Cultural Ideas And China’s Naval Diplomacy

Countries have used naval diplomacy, or limited naval force as an instrument of statecraft from long ago. In the background of international disputes, such activities are regarded as gunboat diplomacy. The use of PLA naval force caused great attention, concerning its fast enhancing abilites in the far sea.Researches on naval diplomacy and researches on Chinese military behaviors are the two most related fields to the topic here. Some scholars outside China worried heavily about the growing strength of China, but theories about ideas and foreign policy disagree with the reliance on power in the explanation of policy decisions. Collective ideas are effective in decision making. Ideas usually remain stable, unless when challenged by unexpected failure.The ancient histories lead to some basic differences between Europe and China. China relied more on land power and defensive strategy, evaluated lower on military methods, and asked for higher moral legitimacy before the use of force. Effected by the recent historical experience, China will abandon the underestimation of naval safety, but the concern on moral legitimacy will remain its weight.Cultural ideas made the unique behavior of China. Regardless of relative power, China may use naval force to protect its territorial safety, and will not use naval force in other international disputes. China may also be cautious when seeking for naval prestige, to avoid being misunderstood as gunboat diplomacy. Empirical evidence from 1949 to 2013 is collected and examined to test the hypothesis.