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

摘要

This thesis will apply the constructivist theory of International Relations (IR) toudthe study of Chinese foreign policy, beginning with an examination of the IRudtheories, realism, liberalism and constructivism, and how each theory explainsudChinese foreign policy and its aid behaviour. It will focus on norms and theirudimplications for the making of China's foreign aid policy. Four norms, Asianism,udinternationalism, sovereignty, and developmental ism are discussed and related toudtheir specific roles in China's policy making. Asianism involves the constructionudof an Asian identity within Asia, internationalism involves the development ofudinternational responsibility, sovereignty entails non-interference in otherudcountries' affairs, and developmentalism involves the transmission of the BeijingudConsensus. The analysis continues by linking China's identity to each norm in anudhistorical overview of Chinese foreign policy since 1949. The overviewuddemonstrates how China's identity has become transformed at critical stagesudthroughout the history of the PRC, from victim to neutral actor, to its present greatudpower state, and how these changes in identity have influenced China'sudsubsequent behaviour. By examining three cases, Southeast Asia, Africa and LatinudAmerica, this thesis seeks to explain China's foreign policy within each regionudand highlights how China's policies have been guided by its identity and theudmutually constituted norms during its periods of regional activity. The SoutheastudAsia study is focussed on all four norms, whilst the African and Latin Americanudstudies address internationalism, sovereignty and developmental ism. Particularudattention is placed upon China's changing identity and its impact on China'sudfuture foreign policy and application of foreign aid.