Abstract
In a field as packed with contributions as China Studies, it would be easy to dismiss a sub-250 page work simply titled China’s Foreign Policy as an act of hubris on the part of the author and publisher. The pressing nature of Western engagement with China has resulted in a rush to the presses, with works ranging from neo-realist-inspired tabloid fears of the ‘China threat’, to Chinese Communist Party apologetics desperate to place the blame for recent tensions solely on US imperialism. Thankfully, Australian National University professor emeritus and long-time public servant Stuart Harris manages to avoid the pitfalls of both approaches, delivering a balanced, broad and eminently readable summary of the topic. While it is by no means an exhaustive study of the Chinese foreign policy, and brings very little in the way of new research to the table, it is the ideal introduction to an often complex subject for those wishing to gain a concise overview.
The central thesis of the work is unambiguous. Chinese policymakers see their country as being highly vulnerable to a wide range of threats, from both internal to the external sources (indeed a whole chapter is devoted to ‘Insecurity and Vulnerability’). Foreign policy, and the debate surrounding it, is therefore based around attempts to mitigate this vulnerability through various means, ranging from economic influence to hard power, and attempts to grow China’s influence within the existing international order. While this thesis is hardly an original one, the intention of the author seems to be to slot the existing scholarship on elements of Chinese policy into a larger overall framework, rather than to posit a completely new theory.
The greatest strength, and drawback, of the book is its ambition and scope; it covers everything from the internal processes and institutions of Chinese foreign policy-making to its economic policy and bilateral relations. For the most part it does an admirable job, drawing on a wide range of both Western and Chinese sources in order to provide a loosely constructivist-historiographical analysis. Reflecting the author’s strong background in North Asian geopolitics and institutionalism, the strongest chapters in the book are those that cover China’s integration into the international system and state foreign policy organs.
Avoiding the common pitfall of presenting the Communist Party as a monolithic entity operating according to decades’ long plans, Harris gives a compelling outline of a tangled party, government and military bureaucracy frequently at odds with themselves. By labelling it ‘an endless web of bureaucratic and political constituencies that compete and bargain for power and resources’ (p. 26), the author is able to better delve into the oblique intricacies of a system based more on factional patronage and personal relationships than institutions and set policy processes. Instead of the autocratic and centralized decision-making associated with Leninist systems in the West, a picture is formed of a government suffering ‘considerable problems in coordination and policy formulation’ (p. 45). Summarizing this labyrinthine system in 22 pages is no easy job and the author demonstrates incomparable expertise in the area by continually relating his descriptions back to their practical influence on Chinese policy. Refreshingly, Harris also admits that there are limits to what outsiders, including himself, can learn about such an opaque and convoluted system, which is something of an anomaly in a country flooded with ‘China experts’.
Another area in which the book excels is in its analysis of the questions surrounding China’s integration into the US-dominated international system, with Harris ably capturing the difficulties and ambiguities of China’s transition from outsider to stakeholder. Moving beyond mere analysis of the level of China’s conformity with the present international norms, the author turns the analysis back onto the international system by noting shifts in the expectations of its major stakeholders. China began to integrate into the international order when ‘the “bar” of membership of the international system was being raised’ (p. 60), and has found itself a Westphalian state in an increasingly post-Westphalian world. Wider difficulties in China’s integration are also highlighted, such as, its increased turn towards multilateralism and its ambiguous status as a developing country at the great power table. The China of Harris’ work is not an overconfident nineteenth-century Germany swaggering into its place in the sun, but rather a state that is tentatively trying to adopt a global role commensurate with its newfound economic status. It is this nuance and subtlety that drives the best of this work.
Unfortunately, the text falls short when Harris writes on areas that are less well served by his constructivist approach. The area where this mismatch is clearest is in Chapter 5, which analyzes the metrics of China’s hard power decision-making. The author begins the chapter with an analysis of China’s policy on the Iranian nuclear programme, and spends around two pages linking China’s cyber warfare efforts to its inability to match the anti-satellite capability of the US. This viewpoint is unconventional to say the least.
Other gaps emerge when it comes to analysis outside of the North Asian region (though whether this is a result of the book’s brevity or the author’s own focus is difficult to say). This is especially true of Harris’ analysis of China’s growing involvement in the Indian Ocean region, which is largely perfunctory and reliant on uncritical assertions. When reductionist claims are made such as ‘In India, according to Pakistan’s ruling elite, the arch rival is Pakistan. But India’s arch rival is China’ (p. 158) some sort of proper exposition by the claimant is required. While it is certainly true that a certain section of the Indian elite strongly holds this view, the reality is far more complex, as India is a pluralistic democracy driven by deeply held bureaucratic interests. This is an odd lapse for the author, considering his excellent analysis of the multifaceted and fractious process of Chinese policy-making. A similar problem can be seen in his brief quip that the ‘String of Pearls’ theory is a ‘myth’ (p. 161), with the only explanation given a reference to a footnote in another work. Though the theory has been extensively debunked, its ongoing popularity among a certain section of the Indian and US policy elite means that it deserves more than the largely descriptive three-quarters of a page that is devoted to it.
Also unfortunate is the nearly complete absence of Australia from the text; another potentially interesting case study in the ambiguities inherent in Chinese relations with the Western powers. One cannot help but believe that Harris, with his Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade background and evident knowledge of the subject area, would have offered a refreshing boost to the often-staid domestic policy debate in his home country.
Even more curious is the complete absence of Taiwan from the chapter on bilateral relations. While the security element of China’s relationship with Taiwan is alluded to elsewhere (notably in the ‘Insecurity and Vulnerability’ chapter), the omission of such an important bilateral relationship is puzzling. China’s often ambiguous relations with Taiwan extend far beyond its traditional security concerns, and to treat the issue as an outgrowth of tensions with the US fails to do the topic justice. A deeper analysis of one of North Asia’s most dangerous stand-offs is instead swapped for studies of China–EU and China–Myanmar relations, with the author admitting that Chinese focus on the former was not sustained for long.
What one ultimately makes of Harris’ work depends on how it is approached. If readers go into the text expecting a unique central thesis that redefines the field, or a deep focus on a single area of Chinese foreign policy, then they will likely come away disappointed. However, those seeking out a well-researched and readable overview of contemporary Chinese foreign policy will be more than satisfied with Harris’ offering. Its balance, broadness and concise nature more than outweigh the problems caused by the author’s overreach and relatively forgivable omissions. It is an excellent introduction to a topic that has taken on supreme significance, both within international relations and beyond.