China’s Foreign Policy: Regional Perspective André da Vila Eduardo Dutra Murilo Sarabanda

Contents 1 China’s Goals 2 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation 3 Southeast Asia 4 Policy Proposal

China’s Goals Medium-term goals Develop economically Protect the country’s sovereignty Mantain peaceful relations with its neighbors (and the world) Facilitate the reunification of Taiwan by peaceful means Long-term goals One realist view “(...) language of peaceful development to lull its neighbors and the West into letting down their guard until it [China] develops sufficient economic and military strength to challenge them.” (Reich and Lebow 2014: 87)

China’s Goals Hēgemonía “(...) describes an honorific status conferred on a leading power because of the services it had provided to the community. It confers the right to lead, based on the expectation that this leadership will continue to benefit the community as a whole.” (Reich and Lebow 2014: 87) Clientalist approach China (powerful) Neighbors (weak) + Economic and security benefits + Constraint of the powerful + Honor status

China’s Goals “Status quo power” US approach x China’s approach Multilaretal Blunt use of power Bilateral Regional diplomatic negotiations Market mechanisms

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Shanghai Five (1996) - post-Soviet borders and basic security + Uzbekistan = SCO (2001) - “streghtning mutual confidence and good-neighbourly relations (...) making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region” (SCO 2015) - Transnational security challenges & economic cooperation + cultural, humanitarian, etc

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Available at: ≠ to Western/EU model: ‘Shanghai Spirit’ and ’Asian Values’ Regime security & sovereign authority are paramount: “[East Asian] regional attitude towards multilateral institutions is that they should assist in the state- building process by enhancing the sovereignity of their members” (Narine 2005: 423 apud Aris 2009: 463, emphasis added) - Intergovernmental cooperation, not supranationalism - “voluntary, consensual and informal approach”; non- binding (Aris 2011: 51) - ‘Three evils’: terrorism, separatism and extremism; Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS)

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation “The SCO is integral to China’s foreign policy and its emerging regional strategy” (Aris 2011: 2) Core interests: “(...) China’s medium-term goals: to develop economically, protect the country’s sovereignty, maintain peaceful relations with neighbors and the world more generally (...)”. (Reich & Lebow 2014: 87, emphasis added)

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation “The SCO is integral to China’s foreign policy and its emerging regional strategy” (Aris 2011: 2) Regime security & ’three evils’ -Pragmatic: Xinjiang’s Uyghur separatist groups -Legitimacy: ”The SCO member states consider Tibet to be na inalienable part of China, and proceed from the fact that settlement of the situation in the TAR is na internal affair of China.” (Nurgaliev 2008)

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation “The SCO is integral to China’s foreign policy and its emerging regional strategy” (Aris 2011: 2) Regional hēgemonía/leadership? Expanding soft power - ’Good neighbour’ policy: “the Chinese leadership views the SCO as playing an important role in demystifying negative perceptions of China within the Central Asian Republics” (Aris 2011: 58) - Further economic cooperation

Southeast Asia Trade Interests Past Tensions A Power Project? South China Sea

Policy Proposal Further enhancing economic integration in SCO? -SCO FTA: overcome deadlock -Russian opposition; ’near abroad’ and EEU -Xinjiang integration & development: stability -’One Belt, One Road’

References Aris, S. (2009) ’The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: ‘Tackling the Three Evils’. A Regional Response to Nontraditional Security Challenges or an Anti-Western Bloc?’. Europe-Asia Studies, 61:3, Aris, S. (2011) ’Eurasian Regionalism: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’. Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke. Reich, S. & Lebow, R. N. (2014) ’Chapter Five: China and custodial economic management’. Good-bye hegemony!: Power and influence in the global system. Princeton University Press: Princeton. Nurgaliev, B. (2008) ‘SCO Secretary-General Issues Statement on Events in Tibet Autonomous Region of China’, Official SCO Website, 21 March Available at: Accessed on 27 March

References Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (2016) ‘Brief Introduction to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation‘. Available at: Accessed on 27 March Breslin, S. (2013) ‘China and the global order: signaling threat or firendship?’. International Affairs, 89: 3,