Learning And The Reform Of Chinese Foreign Policy

Prepared by the East Asian Institute, NUS, which promotes research on East Asian developments particularly the political, economic and social development of contemporary China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), this series of research reports is intended for policy makers and readers who want to keep abreast of the latest developments in China. This volume looks at China's foreign policy from the perspective of learning theory, a relatively new approach to foreign policy analysis based on social psychology.

This is the most comprehensive, in-depth account of how Chinese foreign and security policy is made and implemented during the reform era. It includes the contributions of more than a dozen scholars who undertook field research in the People's Republic of China, South Korea, and Taiwan.

This study of Chinese foreign policy is intended for academics and graduates of Chinese studies and of international relations, international economics and those interested in decision-making theory.

The relationship of China and the outside world for nearly a century is full of twists and turns and changes. For the Chinese nation, it's a memory with unforgettable sadness and happiness. As China developed from a semi-feudal, semi-colonial country to an independent socialist country and to a powerful big country in the world, the Western-dominated international system has had a dramatic change in their attitudes towards China, from contempt and exploitation to hostile confrontation and blockade, and to multiple and complex means including both cooperation, dialogue and pressure. Before the founding of New China, China's diplomacy was by no means a "e;blank area"e;. No matter the military contacts of Yanan revolutionaries led by Mao Zedong with relevant U.S. authorities, or Zhou Enlai's work towards the Western Leftist, or the complex learning process of CPC with the Communist International, or even China and Soviet's war against Japan and the multiple coordination in regaining the sovereign rights over the northeastern China, all share the nature of foreign affairs, an embryonic form of "e;international relations"e;. It was an important "e;pre-history"e; of the external relations for contemporary China, a period of preparation and adaptation for New China's foreign policy. Therefore, making analysis of New China's diplomatic orientation should not ignore reviewing this part of history. In Mao's era, earthshaking changes had taken place in China's foreign relations compared with the situation of Chiang Kai-shek regime. Chinese people stood up and this country will no longer be trampled upon and insulted at will. There were some important strategic initiatives and creations worth to be memorized and respected, such as the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the exchanges with the U.S., and the Three Worlds theory. However, due to the special situation both home and abroad, the Cold War pattern and the guideline to continue the revolution in particular, China's relations with the world were always in the state of tension and confrontation during the first thirty years after the founding; China was quite marginalized in the international system, with its international image more of a rebel than a constructor. Three decades since Deng Xiaoping launched the reform and opening up policy, China has become one of the most important beneficiaries of economic globalization and one of the most important engines for world economy. The guideline focused on domestic economic development and people's wellbeing also led to adjustments in China's foreign relations and entire international strategy. Chinese economy stepped away from the brink of collapse and developed at a high growth rate, filled with vitality; the majority of Chinese people got rid of poverty and backwardness that had long plagued them, and made a historical leap towards modest prosperity, with increasing awareness of autonomy and legal rights; Chinese diplomacy was no longer passive and contradictory as in the Cultural Revolution, but emerged with the momentum of a big power, firm, calm, targeted and imaginative. No matter how many problems and contradictions occurred in the running-in period, China's relationship with the world is advancing towards a positive and constructive direction. China and the world are more and more closely linked with each other, and the progress of China constitutes one of the most significant achievements of the international system. Domestic and foreign affairs are always closely related. For the past sixty years since the founding of New China, though subject to the changes of international pattern, Chinese diplomacy has been a direct continuation of domestic political guidelines and the overall situation, no matter problems or achievements. "e;If you want to work with iron, you must be tough yourself."e; The way China designs and shapes itself will fundamentally determine the Chinese view and responses to the outside world. China's progress itself directly affects the development and evolution of foreign relations. Based on the observation of China's development since the latter half of the 20th century, we have reason to be optimistic about the future of relations between China and the world.

Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, and particularly after the opening brought about by economic reforms roughly thirty years thereafter, China has become an influential player in regional and global affairs. Increasingly, both American and European policymakers examine Chinese foreign policy as a flexible, pragmatic, and significant element in world affairs. This has accelerated in the middle of the new first decade of this century, as business firms and political officials have developed interests in the sources, processes, and significance of China's reemergence as a global force. This volume examines how, in conjunction with rapid economic growth and profound social transformation, China's foreign policy is experiencing significant transition. The purpose of this truly deep and probing collection is to deepen Western understanding of the sources, substance, and significance of Chinese foreign policy--with a focus on the post Cold War environment. Contributors include academic specialists, area researchers, and distinguished journalists, all with firsthand experience in the field of China studies. The volume is divided into four parts: (1) theory and culture; (2) perspective and identity; (3) bilateral relationships; and (4) retrospective and prospective essays on Chinese policy concerns. The volume is sensitive to changes in national leadership and Communist Party structure as well as continuity and change in foreign policy. As Lowell Dittmer of the University of California notes in his Foreword, "precisely because it is so difficult to do well, the analysis of foreign policy is often conducted rather tritely. Thus it is a real pleasure to find assembled here a treasure trove of some of the finest work by some of the field's most penetrating minds. This is fortunate, for at the core of this volume is one of the biggest and most portentous questions to confront the world at the outset of the twenty-first century. That question is: in the decades to come, what role will China play in the world? As the homeland of about a fifth of mankind, this question is almost guaranteed relevance whatever the fate of China's domestic economy." Guoli Liu is associate professor of political science and international relations at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. "[Chinese Foreign Policy in Transition] is an extremely useful collection of articles by leading China scholars." Lucian W. Pye, Foreign Affairs

This book stands as a rebuke to any who would attempt to forward simplistic interpretations of China's rise. In place of parsimonious arguments, or an endorsement of any singular set of images (whether pacific or confrontational), it repeatedly calls attention to the remarkable complexity of China's emerging international profile. More specifically, the leading Chinese and American scholars working in the fields of Chinese foreign policy, international political economy, and national security, who contributed to this volume argue that while China appears to be entering a new era in its relationship with the outside world, such a development encompasses disparate, even contradictory, policies, and, as a result, there is a great deal of fluidity within China's place in world politics.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the development of educational policies and legislation in China, particularly following the introduction of Reform and Opening Up in 1978. The scope of this book: (1) provides the theoretical basis and framework of educational policies; (2) explains key educational laws and legislation; and (3) introduces readers to policies for educational internationalization, private education, lifelong learning and teacher education. The book is intended for researchers, teachers and graduate students in the field of comparative education, educational policy and legislation, educational management. Readers will find essential information on the most important educational laws and legislation, as well as the recent characteristics of and trends in educational policies in China.