China’s Foreign Policy and External Relations
This study provides an overview of China’s current approach to foreign policy and external relations. It focuses more particularly on the role and actions of China in global governance, its territorial claims and relations with countries in Asia, and its emergence as an important actor in Central and Eastern Europe as well as in the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood. It assesses the implications for the EU and makes recommendations on how the EU should deepen its strategic partnership with China. The study argues that China has not made a unilateral and exclusive turn towards assertiveness in its foreign policy. China’s foreign policy assertiveness represents a policy choice that should be understood in the broader context of its external relations, which is one of uncertainty. Both the impact of China’s emergence in international affairs and the use China intends to make of its power and influence remain uncertain. This uncertainty is explained by the interdependence between a number of international and domestic factors as well as by the absence of a grand strategy. The uncertainty in China’s foreign policy opens avenues for the EU to influence China and further deepen the scope of the EU-China Strategic Partnership.
Study
External author
Matthieu BURNAY, Kolja RAUBE and Jan WOUTERS
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Keyword
- Africa
- ASEAN countries
- Asia and Oceania
- China
- cooperation agreement (EU)
- economic geography
- economic policy
- economic relations
- ECONOMICS
- Europe
- European construction
- EUROPEAN UNION
- FINANCE
- financing and investment
- foreign policy
- GEOGRAPHY
- India
- international affairs
- International Monetary Fund
- INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
- INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- international sanctions
- international security
- investment abroad
- Iran
- Japan
- Libya
- non-proliferation of arms
- North Korea
- Pakistan
- political framework
- political geography
- POLITICS
- politics and public safety
- regional security
- rule of law
- Russia
- sustainable development
- Syria
- territorial dispute
- terrorism
- Ukraine
- UN Security Council
- United Nations
- world organisations
- World Trade Organisation