Chinese Politics Notes

8/2/2019 Chinese Politics Notes

1/24

Reading 8/30

Perspective Ch. 1

Tribute System:

Korea and Vietnam relationship to China was asymmetric-most loyal tributaries

-adopted Chinese culture

Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689) with Russian empire

-common view was it was established on terms of equality of Russia and Qingdynasty

-Manchus still conformed archaic ritual protocol of emperor (memorials andedicts)

-Britains refusal to adhere to protocol hampered relations

No distinction between domestic and foreign affairs

-No outer-separation (wuwai): doesnt recognize sovereignty of foreign nations

-Censorship and suppression of dissent China set back in modernization and normaldiplomatic relations

-as it perpetuated myths about victory over British in opium wars

Treaty System:

-brought upon by 2 Opium Wars

-Nanjin (1842) and Tianjing (1858) explicated diplomatic equality, but was not so inpractice

-customs and salt revenues, most important source of revenue, controlled byBritish

-destabilized Chinese politics, warlords seek control of customs revenuesfunneled to Beijing

Extraterritoriality

-foreigners mediated own disputes according to their customs and law

-Boxer uprising 1899-1900

-spurred foreign military patrol in China

Treaty Ports


2/24

-contained foreign-controlled concessions (enclaves), eventually became populatedwith Chinese

-housed most of financial, manufacturing, and publishing enterprises

By 20th century foreign presence was an integral part of Chinese polity

-provided most dynamic segment of Chinese economy, stimulated economicdevelopment, cosmopolitan culture, voice for political dissidents, but underminedsovereignty (Spheres of Influence)

Shanghai

-modern Chinas economic center

-20th century grew as cultural capital

The Rise of Nationalism

-expanded press to include public

-opposition to Qing led to overthrow and establishment of Han-nationalist Republic ofChina

Republican Era (1912-1949)

1919 May Fourth Movement: student protest against Versailles Peace Conference andits decision to grant Germanys rights to the Shaodong province to Japan instead ofreturning them to China

-Ch. 11, pg. 257: most important cultural movement in modern history of Chinaquestioned traditional Chinese culture

Nationalist Party united with Commies to combat imperialism and warlord rule: unitedcountry in 1928

Chapter 9: The Political Creativity of Late Imperial China

-rule ultimately based on will of people: Heaven made will known through people

-line blurred between state and society

-community and charity granaries part of Confucian benevolence

-civil service system marked ruling meritocracy (local elites) and recruiting base foremperors bureaucracy: social mobility possible

-minimum state with maximal reach

-emperor controlling from afar

-tension between centralized imperial system and decentralized feudalism

Roles of Gov.


3/24

The Civilizing Mission: state provides moral order

Schools: Academies, Community, and Charity Schools: collaboration between officialsand nonofficials

Community lectures: Sacred Edict: read during Qing: illustrates close relationship

between state and society

Models: taps source of human motivation for good behavior: pilgrimages to thesesigns part of moral indoctrination

Rituals: state rituals important in construction and reasserting the dominion of thestate

Governmental Institutions and Approaches

Bureaucracy: father-mother official, the county magistrate

-had to follow detailed written code and procedure

Guanxi: connections based on different relationships for accountability

-law of avoidance and surveillance by censors in order to serve public interest

-Emperor Qianlang controlled bureaucracy more

Law and Society

-civil law was flexible for different social and cultural contexts

Ch.11: Struggle for Identity: Political Psychology of Chinas Rise

Transition out of China as the central kingdom

One Hundred Years of Struggle

1840 start of Treaty System

1860s Westernization movement: technological modernization with Chinese socialand political institutions intact

Following defeat in Sino-Japanese War 1894 and signage of Shimonoseki Treaty wasReform Movement in 1898 to modernize Chinese Social and Political institutions

1889: One-Hundred Day Reform Movement developing national economy andinfrastructure, new armies, abolished exam system, Western-style schools, public

forums: goal was to establish Constitutional Monarchy in response to abuses ofimperial system

-movement halted by conservative opposition (Empress Dowager)

1911 Revolution: military overthrow of Qing, revolutionary movement (The UnitedLeague) led by Sun Yat-Sen: established Republic of China in 1912


4/24

-1945-1949 Chinese Civil War: nationalist gov. led by Chiang Kai-Shek driven toTaiwan by Commies who had more credibility from resisting Japan

1949-1979: era of peace within China

-wars in Korea and Vietnam in 1950s

-enemy to both Superpowers by 1960s

-political movements culminating in cultural revolution put China in further isolationfrom international community

Identity Reconstructed: Reform and Opening Up

-reform failed because it separated self-strengthening from integration ininternational society

-1978 started policy of reform and opening up, self-strengthening and identity tointernational society paired together. Since 1979 has gained full membership in

international society.

Integration:

-economic interdependence- trade dependence

-acceptance of existing international regimes: more involvement ininternational organizations

-social identity: attendance at international multilateral conventions

-energy import: increasing demand for oil

Lecture 8/30

-Esherick Ch. 11

China has resilience as empire

-pattern of identity preservation

-China knew its limits: couldnt conquer everyone in its way

-logistical issues: distance from Beijing to hinterlands for supplies andresources

-and constant raining made land unsuitable for farming

-managing borders was difficult with invading nomads

-even when nomads took over empire they kept Chinese characteristics

Tribute system: was willing deference, NOT submission

-local officials maximize resistance efforts, minimize significance of Britishoccupation


5/24

Treaty System: treaties were equal in name only

-British concession of Hong Kong to gain exclusive access to the rest of China

-China became chaotic playground for powers

-patriotic movements in response to this situation to reestablish China as thecenter empire

Elvin Ch. 7

Elvin article says that by 19th century traditional China was at the end of themaintenance of its agrarian society because of over-population

-deforestation led to continual de-animalization

-Rice paddies: difficulty with supplying water uphill and involved much labor

-problem of floods because of damning of rivers and resulting build up of silt

-overuse of land necessitated organic fertilizers, such as night soils

-potential for famine

-huge productivity per acre, small productivity per person: labor intensification

-difficult to mechanize

-Chemical fertilizers: new vulnerability for crops

-Schoppa Ch.9

Mandate of Heaven: people as the root

-absolute rule means absolute responsibility

-emperor must rule in interest of people

-consensus

easy to attain

-not divine right b/c king owned everything

-Major tenet of Confucianism- relationships: guanxi-treat others well, because of uncertain future

-civil service exam: first bureaucratic exam system in world

-no fee, much more egalitarian

-need for relationships in center with center/local duality


6/24

Chang

-China needs resources, but question of whether it will expand

-resource dependency is new problem-consumer demand in world markets

-but not expanding in colonial, coercive sense

-competition over production costs rather than control of supply

-arrangements between US and China are not exclusive

Traditional China sees itself in terms of superior virtue

-military was confirmation of order rather than maintenance of order-except inMongol, nomadic areas

-success was based on respect not expansion

1911-1949: dynasty fell-chaos

Qin Yaqinq

China striving for equality among international relations

o 1949: China was standing on own 2 feet: gov. tried to promote world

revolution

Involved in Vietnam: now Vietnam is not threatening but anuisance

o 1969: change of policy to pragmatism: established relations with U.S. in

1978

Openness and reform: China wants recognition and benefits

Rural Reform: until 1840 China was biggest, most successful traditional society

-rural and subsistence 90%+ pop. was rural

-could support cities and waterworks projects

-small gov.: local gentry determined affairs

Fansheng

Collapse of China: loss of order at village level


7/24

-intro guns, more exploitation was possible

Intro of Chinese Communist Party: started as urban, intellectual movement inShanghai in 1920

-Mao was from rural area

-interested in overthrowing regime

-main resource was possibility of mobilizing peasants

-possibility of multiple, coordinated village revolutions was difficult

-county officials would have to be at risk and have to aid revolutions

-1927 Nationalist Party turned on CP and massacred them, CCP lost 90% of members

-remnants fled to countryside to survive

-after unsuccessful attack on city in 1930, Mao gave up on seizing cities

Rural Revolutionary Strategy

-rural bases to surround urban areas

Nationalist Party aka Guomindang/Kuomintang (KMT)

-wanted unification

-deal with warlords and landlords

-weak gov. as warlords took over party

-loath to fight Japanese-defeated and retreated-lost respect of intellectuals

9/6:

Chen Village: poor, only ate carbs, only 3 ounces of food oil per year, very littlearable land, hilly and mountainous

o Students helped establish wired broadcast system

Communism was not discussed among villagers in terms of intellectualmovement

By 1972 diet of Chen Village had improved

o Development of political struggle but not productivity

50 skilled student workers enhanced infrastructure

material conditions more important than economic conditions, not mentionedin book

class struggle is reality and ideology, persistence even after landlords lost land


8/24

o class labels not abolished until 1979

Fansheng and Chen Village, outsiders initiate, and insider involvement wascrucial

o Mobilization

Failure of Cultural Revolution in Chen Village:

o People as root

Creating political unit of people politicizing village making it liable to bemobilized in support of rural revolution

o Competition for resources

No conscription in Peoples Liberation Army, need popular mobilization,voluntary: need recruits for army in order to keep land

o KMT has more guns

o Red army splits into smaller units

1949 microrevolutions producing enough military strength to overwhelmGuomingdang

o In North China everything was organized in the party from the ground

up: grassroots

o of peasant population was already under control of communist party

o By 1952 Chinese economy was as productive as it had ever been

o Vestigial opposition in 1950

National Consolidation

o Rural: mutual aid teams

o Urban was incorporation

o Tightening of control

Hundred Flowers Campaign

o To defuse party opposition and be serious opening up, but Mao didntlike what he got, and led by Deng, continued anti-rightist movement

Cooperatives: pooled labor and production resources

o Based on work and contribution

o By 1956-57 was based just on work


9/24

o Tiered land holdings to hedge against weather

Pooled risk that reduces vulnerability of each person

Efficiencies of production

Poor people first to join because they didnt have as much riskand owned land

Communism is target state in China from 1957, larger-scaleproduction elimination of private property, more efficient:inspired leftist turn

Great Leap Forward: utilize mobilization of countryside torely on everyone working together to achieve things thatcapitalist countries cannot

o Mentality of voluntary demotion to understand

masses

o Mao lowered taxes: better red than expert

o Collapse of communes as a result of overcrowding,

failure of mobilization, in party state trying toachieve modernization

Chen Village p. 91-92 Dazhai system: overall quality of labor not just productivity:cooperative attitudes would be taken into consideration

-p. 115 peasantry cared not much about urban youths class labels, villagers weresensitive to local peasants class origins

-Mao Thought Red Guards replaced Mao Red Guards

Lecture 9/8:

-Make Declaration of willingness to go to country by Canton youth; confirm; getparents to sign off on it; Was permanent transfer

-Those students going to Chen Village (pop. 1,000) had devotion and ideological

commitment shown by distance of travel-50,000 travelling from other villages

-Problem w/ methodology of studying one village: generalization

-food stamps based on place of residence, you could just move around


10/24

-6% eligible decided to go

Qingfa: leadership qualifications: poor, hard worker, good communicator, guerrilla,established support network.

-worried about Longyong

Longyong: removed from power by Qingfa, but came back later; good farmer,strategic temper, didnt take crap, committed to living in poverty

Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution:

Started by Mao: was committed to further Marxist Revolution

-USSR was going revisionist, statist rather than vanguardist

-needs to be led by students, professors need to be educated by country labor

-peasants and workers should teach skills

-Mao worried about party becoming bureaucratic power: party becoming class itself

-revolution was controlled by Mao Thought rather than central enforcement

-Violence 66-69

9/20

Perkins article:

Traditional situation of interaction of resources, public authority, and population

-optimistic presentation of approving comparison of other places, traditional places,modern places, that lack characteristics of China

-agricultural resources make China prosperous

-economy operates in orderly and uniform environment

-internal trade and developments permit rise of major cities

-political and value structure facilitate internal trade

-reasonable literacy in China, limited within open-ended education system


11/24

-produced most developed traditional economy: oriented towards existing pattern tobe maintained and defended against decline

-defects of traditional system: efficiency can be the enemy of innovation; it would beinefficient to look for different route; tweaking is efficient innovation

-so much in China [little need for neighbors, no more commerce=no more coastalpirates: thought of itself as All Under Heaven]

-inability for military modernization can be blamed on China. West optimism of brightfuture was absent in Chinese realm

-tried to adapt but didnt fast enough

-Know Nothing rejection of West supported by Empress Dowager in Boxer Rebellion

-Confucianism gave up as public authority

-China was risky investment in 19th/20th century. Losses of slow adaptation. Losses of

chaos

-mercantile over capital goods, remittances of relatives overseas to relatives in China

-50 years of unstable environment: magnitude of opportunity costs becomes unclear

-first half of 20th century: Red Army was successful because it organized from bottom

-collectivization of agriculture

-Soviet investments creating core industries and geological work: oil

-economy set up in 1950s

-advantages of backwardness: learn from Soviets twice. Structure resources towardsconcrete goal

-China could learn from Soviets and Soviets were helping China build

-Cities grew in 50s with peasants leaving agriculture

-Bureaucracy and concentration of resources is not efficient on frontier

-end up system too tight: good at copying and tweaking but not flexibleenough to innovate

Leftism: Great Leap Forward by 1964

-Cultural Revolution: Chen Village in improves in agriculture in this time

-general GDP grew slowly in cultural revolution: eveness loses opportunity ofenlargement


12/24

-critical ideals led to people being too scared to try things

1952-1979 grew avg. 6% annually

-basic health, basic education

-spread of universal literacy, competent local level leadership

9/22: Naughton

1978 China was well poised for market transformation

-share risks, share capital: get bottom level of economy started

Why did market forces work?

-basic ducation, basic health: pre-reform accomplishments, experience oforganization seen in Chen Village

-policy process: pragmatic-if it works, keep it

-bold, but not transformative changes in structure

-importance of education in specialties and reform

-marketization rather than privatization. gradual process of replacement ofSOE w/private owned enterprises:

-Chen Village pioneer in foreign investment and organization

-main investment was/is domestic investment

-foreign investment drives everything in villages

-Asian production cycle: import much more from immediate neighbors, outsideinvestment and final assembly (labor intensive) in China

-massive exports to U.S.: a lot of high tech exports involve imports from othercompanies

-drop in consumption first hits imports

-Lewis turning point: point at which jobs compete for labor: higher paying jobs getlabor

-China from lowest point efficient labor to higher priced labor, must raise productivityof labor

-low skill to high skill

Adjusting to upper middle Income demands of economy


13/24

-migrant laborers in city. Must be treated not like they were in Chen Village

-bottom-line indicator of success is maximum growth

China energy usage:

-same efficiency as it was becoming more productive-light industry is less energy intensive than command economy heavy industry

-back on track 2000s diversify and get long-term contracts:

-prior 2 decades: energy shortages, because of unanticipated reduction ininvestment of infrastructural energy projects

-became energy dependent: energy exporter until 1993

*success not great teacher of innovation, more complacency

-secondary and tertiary industry are 2500 times level in 1978

-primary is 400 times

-variability in GDP per year, but always growing, and even in 1980s was just returningto avg.

-poor provinces growing at better rate in 90s than earlier

-75 to 2001 role reversal between China and Russia (China on top)

-effects: improvement in life expectancy, every measure of society and social welfare

-difference in urban center and rural periphery

-external trade not as important for China as other Asian giants

-selling to U.S. keeping money and reinvesting

-China in top 5 trading partners in most of world

10/4 Chinese Political System

-Democratic centralism: debate on policy but unquestioning support once decision ismade

-hierarchy of senior and junior officials

-lots of localism; no capacity to challenge the center

NPC confirms membership to Central Committee elects Politburo elects StandingCommittee

-Consensus


14/24

-illegitimacy of opposition within party once decision is made

-Politburo Standing Committee advisors of General Secretary

-women on Central Committee: does not make day-to-day authoritative decisions

-PLA is army of party and not state-Party supplies political leadership to state: which makes Hu Jintao President: Head ofState and Head of Party

-State Council has standing committee: is highest organ of gov.

31 province level units

23 provinces

3 cities: Beijing, Tianjin, Chonqing

5 autonomous regions

2 special administrative regions

Hong Kong

Macao

1 missing province: Taiwan

-Mass organization regulated by CCP

-Official media: official position emphasized: either positive or negative issues whichneed to be addressed

-debates on how to address problems accepted

10/6 Political System Contd.

Midterm: rethink readings for essay questions

-answers must be appropriate for the question

-refer to Miller Center talk-get to class 5 min. early for test

How does party control things?

CCP has 70 million members


15/24

-throughout society there is party organization

-involved in all aspects of life, there are many different views

-democratic centralism: discussion during decision, after to implement and notoppose

-central discipline

-collateral membership: party secretary in a unit is usually just party secretary,public official who is responsible for unit is member of party committee, or in postconsultation if not party member

-party committee is making binding decisions for that group

-hereditary membership for 8 democratic parties

-minister of science and tech not in party

-difficult to move up in military hierarchy without being party member

-enmeshment between political leadership and administrative responsibilitiesestablished through collaborative leadership

-constant study in coordination, party committees will read and consider if articles arerelevant in what they do

-personnel control of significant positions

-discussions if there is another candidate other than the one proposed

-dont confront; advance interests within system and rhetoric

-all factional arguments are for common good

-centrality/locality relations

-localism doesnt have to be furtive but must work within system

-diversification as long as party is not challenged

-provincial roles are called local as well

-media in China is party media, not simply state media

-under propaganda bureau of central committee

-caution in public media

-Politiburo heard Womack article about Tibet


16/24

-unofficial media is internal media

-before internet rumor was way of getting news

-impossible to tell good rumor to spin rumor

-internet: firewall, but can be beat to get international news

How do people relate to the party state?

-party is supposed to serve the people

-right to contact party rep.

-petition

-challenges against party policy, not against the system

-In 2005 80,000 local uprisings, in mostly rural, some suburban areas

10/13 Problems of Sustainability

Why does China need to change if its had the most successful world economy thepast 30 years?

-sustainability=maintaining, avoid crises

-investing in sustainability over increased production, averting future crisis by takingcare of issues early

-concentrate on a specific or general problem might exclude addressing anotherproblem

-marketization and political stability key ingredients: both factors must be modified ifyou want sustainable growth

-China needs to provide public goods guidance

1978-

-economic advantages relate to backwardness

-knowing someone has done it already gives you clear targets

-without this you must innovate

-leftist area left some positive heritage

-basic educated, healthy workforce

-1970s Chen Village is using collective resources for investment and risk absorption


17/24

-peace and stability during reform era

-decollectivization leads to payoff in energies and talents

-partys reinforcement of marketization and maximum growth

Because of successes of this movement there are new challenges

-diversification and globalization of Chinese society: challenge to dogmatic answers tosocial problems

-China is no longer backward

-it has capital, more to lose, must preserve what it has, and less room forinnovation

-less to chase after

2 changes: economic and political

Economic: guiding the market

-economic base must be preserved and expanded w/ consumers being encouraged aswell as producers and infrastructure

-transportation, education, health, in rural areas will pay off by preserving base forthe pyramid

-needs to encourage entrepreneurs: encourage ppl to do something other than takeincentives

-science and technology

-However, as its economy grows, labor is becoming more expensive, forcingmanufacturers who outsource to China to look elsewhere; inflationary pressure

-increasing wages in urban centers; lack of adequate infrastructure has made itdifficult for western manufacturers to expand there

-has to reduce (mortal) personal risk by increasing personal welfare guarantees inorder to reduce marginal risk

-deal with increasingly older, decreasingly working-age population

-resource and environment management

-cars have met standards of pollution control, car cant be older than 5 years inBeijing

-dependence on foreign oil and coal, diversify sources, clean up coal production,reduce necessity for coal

-converting market externalities into market guidance


18/24

-specific problems of water and energy

Political

-change produced by material transformation of China-main factor is governance by rule of law

As long as units are small and population units fixed, there is guanxi-self-regulation

-cant do it through guanxi anymore: there is a lot of anonymous dependence- needstability of expectations

-if discretion is not used for public purposes, it is punishable

-corruption is major problem of Chinese gov.

-last element of clear relations within gov. there could be situation where thereis a law but local official could make exception

-transparency of public activities is necessary

-needs to be more room for citizen participation and oversight, needs to bemore progress at intermediate and international levels

-involves strengthening the peoples congress systems

-strengthening intraparty democracy

-Chinese party leadership must be inclusive. Will existence lead to political crisis?

-believers in religion are primarily excluded

-cannot join party with religious affiliation but can become one while withinparty

-it ignores religion as intertwined with culture

-there shouldnt have to be contradiction with being Tibetan and Chinese

-party meets for personnel reasons, meet more often would give rank-and-filemembers more say

Friend of Womack party member, expert on Mao, born-again Christian, professor atuniversity, removed from teaching following role in Tianammen

Is political and economic reform compatible?


19/24

-if demonstration is only avenue then you are building crisis

-without political reform will tend toward neo-command economy

-with political reform, but without public interest control in economy, there might besome positive effects

-ppl more secure in day-to-day, but would trivialize gov.s idea of public choice

-interactive: need control economy, not command economy

-need societally affected politics: political which provides for stability ofexpectations

Impediments to serious progress

-China has complacency of success: easier to draw lessons on failure of leftism

-no clear point of decision, without crisis is easy to postpone things

Brantly Womack

Output: sell us products b/c they produce them cheapest. As wages go up China canmove up product ladder

Input: China market has become stable market for resources and high end productsfor growing middle class

-Unrest in Tibet in2008, ethnic unrest in 2009

-continuing rural disturbances

-left out of growth of urban economy

-corrupt local officials

-gov. solution so far has been to throw money at them

-rural incomes raised to national levels over next 10 years

-political inclusiveness important as well

-Taiwan situation: June economic cooperation framework agreement

-moving to stability

-China anti-satellite missile, submarines, mid-range missiles, anti-ballistic

Key characteristic of era is uncertainty


20/24

-in uncertainty, stability is key, growth is sign of stability

-China has financed own stimulus program, continued high speed growth, and still hasmoney for resources

-stable as producer and market

-after 2008, steady growth

-projecting uncertainty into future causes anxiety for U.S. and elsewhere

-mutual deniability both can deny access to coastal water

-U.S. is questioned military power

10/25 Tibet

Zhuang is largest ethnic group in China

-localization in specific place

-ethnic diversification in cities due to workforce migration

-sense of ethnic exclusivity in regions, in cities there is hanification

Contentious continuity within culture and religion

Close with Mongols

-Qing dynasty stabilized Chinese control over North and West, including Tibet

-Chinese presence rather light: Chinese would send food into Tibet

-amblen

-1904, British into Tibet

-1913-1950 autonomous Tibet, Dalai Lama took control of autonomous Tibet

-Tibetan plateau is larger than Tibetan province

-Ethnic Tibetans in warlord area participating in disorganized political situationin China (join KMT), as opposed to conservative system within China

-PLA negotiated with Dalai Lama following victory on border-14th and current DL agreed to terms in 17-point agreement Tibet becomes part ofChina but gets to make own decisions

-impressed with modernization efforts of China

-Chinese would limit confines within which Tibetans could work


21/24

-ethnic Tibetans outside Tibet were having land reform and democratization: firstethnic uprisings outside Tibet

-Tibetan Buddhism and Chinese atheism were not compatible

-beginning of anti-religion in Tibet

-ethnic groups fighting in Tibet

-1950- Tibet loses money for central gov.

-affirmative action program in Tibet

-if there is only one official, usually Han

10/27/10

92% Han Chinese

Exile of Dalai Lama 1959

-large minority groups are in periphery of China

-ethnic problem b/c border areas w/ concern about separatism and alienation of HanChinese and ethnic population

-security cloud: central gov. is worried

-crackdown measures reinforce ethnic minorities as others

-Tibet gets lots of subsidies

-2008 riot in Lhasa

-Chinese believe modernization will solve problems

-makes options outside ones own locality present

-us vs. them in society about running into them

-not about exploitation, but feel like receiving end of policy handouts

-return of Dalai Lama would be permanent heading, would have to be morepermanent than Dalai Lama to claim being Tibetan and Chinese

-Railway completed into Tibet only bulk transport: allow more people to live in areas

50s: PLA enters Tibet

-U.S. opposed Dalai Lama agreement to stay in Tibet

-CIA began exploring subversive activity

-PLA fought Indians, stopped at border


22/24

-supported free Tibet, not independent Tibet

-Taiwan claimed Tibet (and Mongolia) part of Republic of China supportedmanpower for clandestine operations

-contradictory expectations between exiled Tibetans and China

-Dalai Lama emphasizes cultural and ethnic autonomy

-reconciliation important

-But Dalai Lama area of Tibet would have to include all ethnic Tibetans

11/1 Fri. 11/12, Adm. Joseph Prueher will be speaking on US-China relations, the roadahead

-John Kamm on human rights, 11/19 3:15, Wilson 301

-no class, Wed 11/17

China as region-state

4 main points

1. States as located actors

-importance of perspective

-know what you mean to enemy

2. China as region-state

a. Historical development

i. Become part of China but retain local characteristics

b. Natural boundaries

i. At steppes, Tibetan plateau and beyond, rather than heartlandboundaries

c. Inward-oriented interaction

i. Internal trade more important than external with exception ofcoasts

ii. Overwhelming population density in east

Consequences

-local differentiation but want central organization


23/24

-resilience of central organization

-distance from outside neighbors

External consequences: each province has a different external profile. Guangdong isvery different from Guangxi, even though they are neighbors

-provinces are competitive, ie Guangxi-Yunnan and SE Asia

-different interests from the center

-but still one state; no challenging the center

3. Multi-regional power, but not enclosed by any other region

a. All political communities have capacities for resistance

b. Not all can challenge

c. A power is at the center of attention

NE: no regional organization

6 party talks on NK nukes

Much more interest now in East Asia Community

SE: bad relations until 1979

Communists

US presence

Disputes between govs.

89-91 Nam normalized relations after pulling out of Cambodia

Mixed until 1991

Really improved after 1997

China-ASEAN FTA Jan. 2010

Central Asia

-potential for disaster but didnt happen: states were in economic collapse

-China could have exploited but didnt

-good relations with Yeltsin; internal criticism: critical of collapse of USSR

-2 years of normalcy before collapse of USSR

-Shanghai 5 in 1996: no clout, but important umbrella of cooperation


24/24

-SCO 2001: shows respect for little guys

-now more energy cooperation

Consequences: a power to many regions, but not enclosed by any

-no super-region-intermediate situation of any regional power

-if a threat to any region, a threat to all

4. Global presence but not global power in a multi-nodal world

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Chinese Politics Notes