Description
Protecting China's Interests Overseas provides a fascinating and new window into Chinese foreign and security policymaking. In particular, it shows how the management of non-traditional security issues abroad led to the emergence of China's strategy to defend its interests overseas. This book comes at a critical time, as China has just inaugurated its first overseas military base in Djibouti, thereby establishing a long-term military presence outside Asia. Based on a large number of Chinese primary sources, the book examines how the main actors involved in the making and implementation of Chinese foreign policy understood the problem of protecting the assets and lives of Chinese companies and nationals abroad, especially in North Africa and the Middle East, and interacted with each other depending on their priorities, preferences, and organizational interests. As the different chapters explore various aspects and dynamics within the Chinese foreign and security policy machine, the analysis concludes that the emergence of China's strategy to defend its interests overseas was, to a large extent, crisis-driven. The evacuation of 36,000 Chinese nationals from Libya in 2011 was a critical moment in this process. Henceforth, significant efforts were made to strengthen the capabilities of and coordination between the different agencies under the control of the Chinese leadership, especially the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Consistently, China's military presence abroad expanded and evolved over the years to stabilize the regions where the country's human and economic presence is most significant, and to neutralize the non-traditional security threats against it. However, Chinese policymakers still face important challenges and complex dilemmas on the path to formulate a sustainable policy towards this very difficult issue. Protecting China's Interests Overseas also offers an opportunity to rethink how we study and understand Chinese foreign policymaking.
About the Author
Andrea Ghiselli is an Assistant Professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs of Fudan University and the Project Manager of the TOChina Hub's ChinaMed Project. His research interests include Chinese foreign policymaking, China's relations with and role in the Middle East and North Africa, and foreign policy analysis.
Reviews
...this book offers a unique viewpoint on how and why China protects its foreign interests. * Md. Nazmul Islam, Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Turkey, International Affairs *
Protecting China's Interests Overseas makes a timely contribution to the Western policy debates on China by problematising those assumptions that underpin much of the current confrontational narratives. * Simone Dossi, University of Milan, THE INTERNATIONAL SPECTATOR *
Based on the excellent research and analysis provided in this volume, one thing is certain: the PLA of tomorrow will not be thinking or doing the same things internationally that it is now. Protecting China's Interests Overseas offers a realistic way of explaining why change over time occurs, pointing us beyond the narrow prism of a rational actor model and encouraging us to think about the broader set of actors, ideas, and interests maneuvering for influence at the domestic level. * Joel Wuthnow, Asia Policy *
China's increase of overseas assets and citizens has resulted in a foreign policy recalibration, and with it, the country has taken a more securitized asia policy approach to MENA, a region where it has substantial interests. The path Ghiselli takes to explain how and why, however, makes the book a valuable study of Chinese foreign policy. At a time when much analysis is reduced to Xi Jinping's preferences or Thucydides's trap, Protecting China's Interests Overseas provides a thoughtful and well-researched examination of China in MENA. * Jonathan Fulton, Asia Policy *
Overall, in an era characterized by narratives of a "new Cold War" and major-power competition, Andrea Ghiselli's book provides a healthy reality check and some assurance. It provides a well-evidenced argument that the deployment of Chinese security forces in critical regions like the Middle East and North Africa has been motivated by the protection of national interests and citizens and not by the desire to undermine U.S. supremacy in these regions. Ghiselli's book opens up the black box of China's party-state and reminds us once again that China's foreign policymaking apparatuses, similar to those of the United States, are far from unitary. * Zoe Zongyuan Liu, Asia Policy *
One of the biggest puzzles facing policy makers in India is the likely trajectory of China's future military power in South Asia and the broader Indian Ocean region. As China's interests expand across the region, how does it intend to protect and further them? Will China follow a path similar to that of great powers before it in projecting military power across an ever-broader area, or will Beijing follow a path with Chinese characteristics? In Protecting China's Interests Overseas: Securitization and Foreign Policy, Andrea Ghiselli helps us better understand the answers to these questions." * David Brewster, The Journal of Strategic Studies *
Andrea Ghiselli has written an important book that addresses a wide range of issues in contemporary Chinese foreign policy. Relying on an impressive array of Chinese civilian and military writings in Protecting China's Interests Overseas, Ghiselli not only examines the emergence of Chinese security forces as a global presence, he also explains the interests that launched this development and the domestic processes that continue to shape Chinese policy. * Robert S. Ross, Political Science Quarterly *
If protecting the interest frontiers was not a "well-thought-out plan," as Ghiselli suggests, did individual actors matter? Perhaps the flag following trade was an inevitable structural outcome of China's growing commercial interests abroad. No matter where scholars stand on the structure-agency debate in explaining state behavior in international relations, the journey and not the destination makes Ghiselli's work essential reading. * Shaio H. Zerba, H-Diplo *
Empirically solid and theoretically stimulating, Protecting China's Interests Overseas is a recommended reading for anyone who -- no matter whether in academia, policymaking, the media or among the general public -- is interested in understanding China's foreign policy beyond the simplistic views that still dominate much of the public debate. The author does an impressive job in demonstrating how the prevailing assumptions on the monolithic nature of the party-state misrepresent reality and result in biased understandings of China's foreign policy. * Simone Dossi, International Spectator *
In Protecting China's Interests Overseas, Ghiselli provides a well-written, highly detailed analysis of the development of Chinese thinking on its evolving foreign interests and their protection. The book will be particularly valuable to those with an academic or professional interest in Chinese foreign, security and defence policy, but will be accessible to the interested lay reader ... Protecting China's Interests Overseas provides valuable insights into and analysis of how and why Chinese foreign and security policy is responding to the evolving nature of China's overseas interests and the wider strategic environment. This book is highly recommended. * Dr James Bosbotinis, The Naval Review *
deeply informed * Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs *
By tracing how "Chinese capital and companies went to some of the most unstable regions of the world", Ghiselli masterfully moves the narrative away from a traditional military perspective to one that emphasises Military Operations Other Than War, economic over military security, and the securitisation of these interest frontiers abroad (expressed in material assets, the lives of Chinese nationals, etc). The book's appreciation for internal political considerations in China and the attention that it puts on the different actors that operate within the Communist Party of China, is to be lauded. * The Wavell Room *
a welcome contribution to the literature on the protection of China's overseas interests * Mathieu Duchatel, European Journal of East Asian Studies *
Andrea Ghiselli has written an important book casting a bright light on two important, related questions: first, how and why has the People's Republic of China evolved from being a nation primarily concerned with protecting its territorial integrity, preserving internal order, and asserting control over Taiwan, to become a nation increasingly motivated to safeguard expanding interest frontiers externally?; second, how and why has a nation that from the mid-1950s to today proclaimed "non-interference in the internal affairs of others" to be at the heart of its foreign policy, become a growing force in UN international peacekeeping operations. * David M. Lampton, The China Quarterly *
Ghiselli has written a terrific and important book. Based on extensive research with primary sources, he demonstrates how China's national interests have expanded beyond East Asia and how the government has endeavored to secure these interests. Protecting China's Interests Overseas offers an important contribution to our understanding of Chinese foreign policy today. * M. Taylor Fravel, Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science and Director and the Security Studies Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology *
What is driving China's unprecedented military power projection outside of its own neighborhood? Andrea Ghiselli's answer may surprise you. Based upon a meticulous mining of a wide array of primary sources, he offers a fresh perspective on one of the most noteworthy international security trends of the twenty-first century. Highly recommended to anyone interested in discerning the main direction of China's geostrategic trajectory. * Andrew Scobell, Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation *
China has gone global and its security presence in faraway regions has increased. In Protecting China's Interests Overseas, Andrea Ghiselli argues that this expansion has little to do with the Sino-American power competition and is not the result of a well-thought out plan. He takes the reader from the corridors of political power to the leaders of security forces, from the bureaucracies to the general public to show that a haphazard policy process led Chinese leaders to securitize non-traditional security issues - such as piracy, terrorism, and social upheavals. Highly recommended for scholars and security practitioners who seek to understand how China protects its interests globally. * Pascal Vennesson, Professor of Political Science, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University Singapore *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198867395
Author Andrea Ghiselli
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 574g
Dimensions(mm) 242mm * 163mm * 22mm
About the Author
Andrea Ghiselli is an Assistant Professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs of Fudan University and the Project Manager of the TOChina Hub's ChinaMed Project. His research interests include Chinese foreign policymaking, China's relations with and role in the Middle East and North Africa, and foreign policy analysis.
Reviews
...this book offers a unique viewpoint on how and why China protects its foreign interests. * Md. Nazmul Islam, Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Turkey, International Affairs *
Protecting China's Interests Overseas makes a timely contribution to the Western policy debates on China by problematising those assumptions that underpin much of the current confrontational narratives. * Simone Dossi, University of Milan, THE INTERNATIONAL SPECTATOR *
Based on the excellent research and analysis provided in this volume, one thing is certain: the PLA of tomorrow will not be thinking or doing the same things internationally that it is now. Protecting China's Interests Overseas offers a realistic way of explaining why change over time occurs, pointing us beyond the narrow prism of a rational actor model and encouraging us to think about the broader set of actors, ideas, and interests maneuvering for influence at the domestic level. * Joel Wuthnow, Asia Policy *
China's increase of overseas assets and citizens has resulted in a foreign policy recalibration, and with it, the country has taken a more securitized asia policy approach to MENA, a region where it has substantial interests. The path Ghiselli takes to explain how and why, however, makes the book a valuable study of Chinese foreign policy. At a time when much analysis is reduced to Xi Jinping's preferences or Thucydides's trap, Protecting China's Interests Overseas provides a thoughtful and well-researched examination of China in MENA. * Jonathan Fulton, Asia Policy *
Overall, in an era characterized by narratives of a "new Cold War" and major-power competition, Andrea Ghiselli's book provides a healthy reality check and some assurance. It provides a well-evidenced argument that the deployment of Chinese security forces in critical regions like the Middle East and North Africa has been motivated by the protection of national interests and citizens and not by the desire to undermine U.S. supremacy in these regions. Ghiselli's book opens up the black box of China's party-state and reminds us once again that China's foreign policymaking apparatuses, similar to those of the United States, are far from unitary. * Zoe Zongyuan Liu, Asia Policy *
One of the biggest puzzles facing policy makers in India is the likely trajectory of China's future military power in South Asia and the broader Indian Ocean region. As China's interests expand across the region, how does it intend to protect and further them? Will China follow a path similar to that of great powers before it in projecting military power across an ever-broader area, or will Beijing follow a path with Chinese characteristics? In Protecting China's Interests Overseas: Securitization and Foreign Policy, Andrea Ghiselli helps us better understand the answers to these questions." * David Brewster, The Journal of Strategic Studies *
Andrea Ghiselli has written an important book that addresses a wide range of issues in contemporary Chinese foreign policy. Relying on an impressive array of Chinese civilian and military writings in Protecting China's Interests Overseas, Ghiselli not only examines the emergence of Chinese security forces as a global presence, he also explains the interests that launched this development and the domestic processes that continue to shape Chinese policy. * Robert S. Ross, Political Science Quarterly *
If protecting the interest frontiers was not a "well-thought-out plan," as Ghiselli suggests, did individual actors matter? Perhaps the flag following trade was an inevitable structural outcome of China's growing commercial interests abroad. No matter where scholars stand on the structure-agency debate in explaining state behavior in international relations, the journey and not the destination makes Ghiselli's work essential reading. * Shaio H. Zerba, H-Diplo *
Empirically solid and theoretically stimulating, Protecting China's Interests Overseas is a recommended reading for anyone who -- no matter whether in academia, policymaking, the media or among the general public -- is interested in understanding China's foreign policy beyond the simplistic views that still dominate much of the public debate. The author does an impressive job in demonstrating how the prevailing assumptions on the monolithic nature of the party-state misrepresent reality and result in biased understandings of China's foreign policy. * Simone Dossi, International Spectator *
In Protecting China's Interests Overseas, Ghiselli provides a well-written, highly detailed analysis of the development of Chinese thinking on its evolving foreign interests and their protection. The book will be particularly valuable to those with an academic or professional interest in Chinese foreign, security and defence policy, but will be accessible to the interested lay reader ... Protecting China's Interests Overseas provides valuable insights into and analysis of how and why Chinese foreign and security policy is responding to the evolving nature of China's overseas interests and the wider strategic environment. This book is highly recommended. * Dr James Bosbotinis, The Naval Review *
deeply informed * Andrew J. Nathan, Foreign Affairs *
By tracing how "Chinese capital and companies went to some of the most unstable regions of the world", Ghiselli masterfully moves the narrative away from a traditional military perspective to one that emphasises Military Operations Other Than War, economic over military security, and the securitisation of these interest frontiers abroad (expressed in material assets, the lives of Chinese nationals, etc). The book's appreciation for internal political considerations in China and the attention that it puts on the different actors that operate within the Communist Party of China, is to be lauded. * The Wavell Room *
a welcome contribution to the literature on the protection of China's overseas interests * Mathieu Duchatel, European Journal of East Asian Studies *
Andrea Ghiselli has written an important book casting a bright light on two important, related questions: first, how and why has the People's Republic of China evolved from being a nation primarily concerned with protecting its territorial integrity, preserving internal order, and asserting control over Taiwan, to become a nation increasingly motivated to safeguard expanding interest frontiers externally?; second, how and why has a nation that from the mid-1950s to today proclaimed "non-interference in the internal affairs of others" to be at the heart of its foreign policy, become a growing force in UN international peacekeeping operations. * David M. Lampton, The China Quarterly *
Ghiselli has written a terrific and important book. Based on extensive research with primary sources, he demonstrates how China's national interests have expanded beyond East Asia and how the government has endeavored to secure these interests. Protecting China's Interests Overseas offers an important contribution to our understanding of Chinese foreign policy today. * M. Taylor Fravel, Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science and Director and the Security Studies Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology *
What is driving China's unprecedented military power projection outside of its own neighborhood? Andrea Ghiselli's answer may surprise you. Based upon a meticulous mining of a wide array of primary sources, he offers a fresh perspective on one of the most noteworthy international security trends of the twenty-first century. Highly recommended to anyone interested in discerning the main direction of China's geostrategic trajectory. * Andrew Scobell, Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation *
China has gone global and its security presence in faraway regions has increased. In Protecting China's Interests Overseas, Andrea Ghiselli argues that this expansion has little to do with the Sino-American power competition and is not the result of a well-thought out plan. He takes the reader from the corridors of political power to the leaders of security forces, from the bureaucracies to the general public to show that a haphazard policy process led Chinese leaders to securitize non-traditional security issues - such as piracy, terrorism, and social upheavals. Highly recommended for scholars and security practitioners who seek to understand how China protects its interests globally. * Pascal Vennesson, Professor of Political Science, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University Singapore *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198867395
Author Andrea Ghiselli
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 574g
Dimensions(mm) 242mm * 163mm * 22mm
