The Domestic Sources of China's Foreign Policy

As Chinas political and economic influence in the world is rapidly increasing, it is essential to understand how Chinas domestic politics affects its foreign political and economic policy. This book offers an accessible, informative and up-to-date systemic analysis of the foreign policy of China. Where mainstream literature on international relations usually suggests that Chinas foreign policy is primarily determined by external factors, such as the international system and external settings, this book demonstrates instead that domestic factors profoundly shape Chinas foreign policy from the late Maos era to the reform era. It demonstrates how Chinas foreign policy is driven by the preservation of political and economic regimes; the political survival of the top leader; the top leaders vision for, and skills in, managing external affairs; the leaders policy priorities; dramatic events and the process of policymaking. It presents its argument in-depth analysis of major cases of Chinese foreign policy for example, Chinas difficult relations with Southeast Asia; Chinas 15-year accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO); Chinas oil diplomacy in the recent decade, and the diversified process of foreign policy making in the twenty-first century.