Ideational Leadership in Chinese Foreign Policy in the twenty-first century: ‘Harmonious world’ Policy under Hu Jintao 2002-2012

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the key research questions of where the concept of ‘harmonious world’ comes from intellectually and whether it can be something new, sincere, and an alternative way of looking at and organizing international relations (IR), or is it simply a label that Chinese President Hu Jintao must have for his legacy project? The research questions have been triggered by the significant phenomenon of the introduction of the ‘harmonious world’ concept in Chinese foreign policy under Hu, and its importance in both theory and policy terms against the deficiency in existing literature. In addressing this puzzle, the thesis attempts to explore the ‘harmonious world’ concept and the link between the concept itself and the broader context within which ‘harmonious world’ is situated. The thesis begins by examining the connection between China's cultural traditions, philosophy and ancient thought, and the way these influence and affect how Chinese rulers and leaders have conducted foreign relations within the framework of ideational leadership, a term used in this thesis to refer to the importance of ancient thought in Chinese foreign policy. The two case studies of the South China Sea disputes and East Asian regional cooperation demonstrate that the ‘harmonious world’ concept coined by Hu in 2004/2005 as a new approach to the conflict-prone IR was at best Hu’s political dilemma, if not a political manoeuvre. This concept reflects an inherent contradiction between the peace and harmony rhetoric on the one hand, and the imperative to assert Chinese rulers’ claim of Tianxia (All-under-Heaven) on the other. A detailed discussion about other claimant states’ reactions to Chinese actions, and the general perspectives of the region supported by rich data testify to one of the key findings that the hegemonic ILIFP achieving Tianxia at the other's expense did not help China to achieve its goals but instead caused troubles for Beijing even in conducive conditions, not to mention non-conductive contexts. The thesis concludes that the ambitious manoeuvre to manipulate international relations primarily in Asia within a Sino-centric hegemonic ILIFP has only prevented China from managing major power relations and good neighbourliness, and prevented it from realizing Chinese aspiration to re-ascendancy. The implication is that Beijing may develop its harmonious ILIFP achieving Tianxia in consensus with others should regional security and development be guaranteed in reality, that the discrepancy between words and deeds is no longer acceptable. The contributions of the thesis are three-fold: 1) it offers a new analytical framework based on ‘ideational leadership’ in understanding and explaining the discrepancy in Beijing’s foreign policy and behaviour in context of China’s rise; 2) it explores the link between ancient Chinese thoughts and China’s foreign policy making, contributing a new theoretical approach towards understanding critical issues that the existing Western dominated IR paradigm has failed to provide a satisfactory answer to; and 3) it provides a better understanding of Beijing leaders’ grand strategy of rejuvenation.