A New Normal? China’s Foreign Policy Behavior in the 21st Century

Session Submission Type: Organized Panel Proposal Application

Abstract

China’s rise to great-power status in the 21st century has significantly enhanced its confidence in addressing both external and domestic challenges. On the one hand, in response to the slowdown of its domestic economy, Chinese president Xi Jinping recently urged his country to adapt to the “new normal” of slower economic development. This new idea indicates that the Chinese government will no longer adhere to the decades-long pursuit of double-digit growth. Instead, it will focus on structural adjustments deemed necessary for the state’s long-term development. In the foreign policy arena, on the other hand, China has become less reluctant to use its economic power as a diplomatic instrument for both seductive and coercive purposes. As a result, China’s recent foreign policy behavior is seen as becoming more assertive. Does this change reflect that there is also an emerging “new normal” in China’s foreign policy thinking? If this is the case, it is important to understand the origin and meaning of this new idea, as well as its policy implication for both Chinese foreign policy behavior and the regional order in the Asia-Pacific. This panel therefore seeks to address these issues by examining China’s external relations with neighboring states from different angels, including Beijing’s assertive foreign policy behavior, its coercive use of economic power, the current Sino-Japanese relations, and the economic cooperation and political rapprochement across the Taiwan Straits.

Area of Study

• China and Inner Asia

Session Organizer

• Hsiao-Chi Hsu, National Taiwan Normal University

Chair

• Tse-Kang Leng, Academia Sinica

Individual Presentations

• Rethinking China’s Assertive Foreign Policy: A New Normal? - Nien-chung Chang Liao, Academia Sinica

• Economic Interdependence and China’s Use of Economic Sanctions - Hsiao-Chi Hsu, National Taiwan Normal University

• Back to the Future: Instability of the Sino-Japan Relationship in the 21st Century - Hsiao-chuan Liao, National Chengchi University

• Toward Successful Rapprochements:Insights from China-Taiwan Relations - Dalton Lin, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Discussant

• Kuan-Hsiung Wang, National Taiwan Normal University