International Structures and Chinese Foreign Policy

Bibliographic Data

ID23246245
AuthorsAlastair Iain Johnston (0000-0003-4238-1115, corresponding author)
Year2018
Pages55-87
Publication date2018-02-02
Open AccessNo
TypeCHAPTER
VenueChina and the World (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.4324/9780429501708-3
OpenAlexW98318071
ISBN9780429501708
LanguageEN
Citations received8

This chapter examines the relationship between international "structures" and Chinese foreign policy. It looks at how a particular kind of international "factor" might affect Chinese foreign policy, namely, international "structure." In particular, there are two kinds of structures, the existence and effects of which are at the core of international relation (IR) theory debates today: material power structures and normative structures. The predominant arguments about material power structures in IR come from neorealist theory. Neorealism's influence on IR theory has been profound. Sovereignty is an example of a normative structure with a direct impact on Chinese foreign policy because the concept is deeply internalized and institutionalized in the decision process. Human agency—the power to act according to intentions—occurs within normative structural boundaries and within the meaning these structures provide to material "realities." The chapter discusses different ways in which Chinese foreign policy has been affected by the interplay of domestically generated and institutionalized identity and changing international norms.

Business · Political science · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · International Relations and Foreign Policy

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