China as a normative foreign policy actor
China as a normative foreign policy actor

Author(s): Brantly Womack
Subject(s): Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior
Published by: CEPS Centre for European Policy Studies
Keywords: China; Normative foreign policy actor; International relation;
Summary/Abstract: Although China’s foreign policy behaviour is often judged in terms of its compliance with Western norms, the evolution of China’s own norms meritsserious attention. From early times to the present day, China’s international action has been structured in terms of norms. When China’s recent behaviour is described in terms of the normative structure proposed by Tocci in the introductory chapter, its unique perspective is highlighted, although tentative questions concerning the structure are also raised. Moreover, the case of China challenges the general interpretation of norms because it emphasises relationships as essentially interactive. From the Chinese perspective, international relations are not an area for the application of abstract norms to cases, but rather a set of particular international relationships, with concrete obligations defined within the context of each relationship.

• Details
• Contents