Research On China's Diplomacy During The Jerry Brown Period Of California (2011-2018)

Since the 1980 s,the foreign relation of the sub-national governments has gradually become a worldwide phenomenon.Under this circumstance,more and more scholars have turned their attention to the international activities of the sub-national governments,which led to the appearance of many related theories.Among them,the theory of para-diplomacy transcends traditional state-center perspective by highlighting the extent of autonomy of sub-national governments as international actors to develop its foreign relations and can be applied to describe and explain the behavior of foreign governments under the federal system in foreign affairs.This article selects from 2011 to 2018 when Jerry Brown served as the governor of California to study the practice of diplomacy with the Chinese central government and provincial sub-national governments.California's government attached importance to establish and develop relations with the Chinese central government.In terms of para-diplomacy towards China's central government,Governor Brown frequently interacted with Chinese national leaders,through which a friendly relation marked by mutual trust and respect has been founded.In addition,California has fostered extensive and pioneering partner relations with various Chinese ministries and commissions,including the Ministry of Environmental Protection,the Ministry of Commerce,and the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission,which have provided the necessary foundation for California's para-diplomacy with the Chinese provincial and sub-national governments,therefore,California has established three pairs of sister state-relationship with Jiangsu,Guangdong,and Sichuan provinces in a row,emerging as the top state in U.S.that has greatest number of sister state relations with China.Besides,California has actively taken advantage of US-China Governors Forum as a multilateral platform to engage para-diplomacy and has achieved a rapid expansion of interaction scale.What's more,it was with California's advocate and effort that the first joint working group on trade and investment cooperation between China's provinces and U.S.' states was able to be established.Above all,California's para-diplomacy towards China during Brown's governorship is characterized by autonomy,multilevel,multichannel,and issue-oriented,and there are significant changes in scale,degree,and nature.These changes can be attributed to a joint dynamic of international pulling forces and domestic pushing forces.Specifically speaking,the pulling forces at the international level arereinforced by China's increasing importance to California's economy,China's growing influence in the process of global climate governance,as well as Chinese government's mounting attention and support to California's relations with China.The pushing force at the national level derives from the adjustments of federal government's climate policy and its foreign policy towards China under the Obama administration and the Trump administration.The pushing force at the sub-national level includes the impetus from California's domestic non-governmental actors,such as think tanks and interest groups,and the improvement of California state's financial situation.The pushing force at the individual level is mainly related to Governor Brown's personal characteristics.The practice of the California para-diplomacy with China also provides relatively mature experience and enlightenment for the other countries.In addition to the state government 's higher autonomy conditions brought about by the federal system,the California government has a proactive attitude and the institutionalization of foreign exchange are very important as well.