CHINESE FOREIGN POLICY - THEORY AND PRACTICE

Sixteen essays, many drawn from the Journal of Contemporary China, also edited by Zhao (international studies, U. of Denver), explore whether emerging Chinese foreign policies can add weight to one side or the other of the theoretical debate between realist and liberal conceptions of international relations scholarship. While realism would suggest that growing Chinese power would lead to assertiveness and expansionism, liberal theory would lead one to expect economic reform to move towards democratization and greater international stability. Within that context, they examine such issues as international and domestic constraints on Chinese policy makers, ideology versus pragmatism, and strategic relations with the major powers and neighbors.