Norms and their implications for the making of China's foreign aid policy since 1949 : case studies of Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America

• Main Author: Yeh, Hui-Chi
• Published: University of Sheffield 2010
• Subjects: 327
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.527244

This thesis will apply the constructivist theory of International Relations (IR) to the study of Chinese foreign policy, beginning with an examination of the IR theories, realism, liberalism and constructivism, and how each theory explains Chinese foreign policy and its aid behaviour. It will focus on norms and their implications for the making of China's foreign aid policy. Four norms, Asianism, internationalism, sovereignty, and developmental ism are discussed and related to their specific roles in China's policy making. Asianism involves the construction of an Asian identity within Asia, internationalism involves the development of international responsibility, sovereignty entails non-interference in other countries' affairs, and developmentalism involves the transmission of the Beijing Consensus. The analysis continues by linking China's identity to each norm in an historical overview of Chinese foreign policy since 1949. The overview demonstrates how China's identity has become transformed at critical stages throughout the history of the PRC, from victim to neutral actor, to its present great power state, and how these changes in identity have influenced China's subsequent behaviour. By examining three cases, Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America, this thesis seeks to explain China's foreign policy within each region and highlights how China's policies have been guided by its identity and the mutually constituted norms during its periods of regional activity. The Southeast Asia study is focussed on all four norms, whilst the African and Latin American studies address internationalism, sovereignty and developmental ism. Particular attention is placed upon China's changing identity and its impact on China's future foreign policy and application of foreign aid.