cover of episode The Role of the Foreign Ministry in Shaping Chinese Policy

The Role of the Foreign Ministry in Shaping Chinese Policy

2024/8/20
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China Global
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Bonnie Glaser
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Dylan Loh Ming Hui
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Bonnie Glaser认为，中国的外交政策在2010年代开始变得更加强势，西方媒体创造了“战狼外交”一词来形容中国外交官使用的强硬语言。她还提到一本新书《中国崛起的外交部》调查了外交部在制定和执行中国外交政策中的作用，并引用一位东南亚外交官的观点，认为中国在过去五年中拥有更大的国际影响力，而中国外交部正在推动和驱动这种影响力。 Dylan Loh Ming Hui则认为，传统的评估往往认为中国外交部实力薄弱或影响力有限，但这需要挑战。他认为，中国外交政策的强势并不仅仅体现在经济和军事实力的提升上，也体现在外交实力的提升上。他提供了三个证据来支持他的观点：第一，中国外交网络规模扩大；第二，外交部长进入政治局；第三，外交事务领导小组升级为委员会。他还指出，中国外交部在政策制定中缺乏主导权，但通过执行、协调和咨询等方式施加影响。他认为，中国在东南亚的外交策略与在其他地区的外交策略有很多相似之处，但也存在一些差异，例如在东南亚地区，中国外交官在影响力方面更为突出，并在一些活动中扮演了更重要的角色。他还谈到了中国外交部与军队之间的关系，认为两者之间的协调合作日益加强，外交部在外交政策中的协调作用日益突出。他还讨论了中共中央对外联络部与外交部之间的关系，认为两者之间的界限越来越模糊，两者正在融合。最后，他还分享了一个让他印象深刻的采访经历，以及他对中国外交政策未来走向的预测。 Bonnie Glaser在访谈中提出了几个关键问题，并对Dylan Loh Ming Hui的研究结果进行了总结和评论。她特别关注中国外交部在政策制定中的作用，以及中国外交在东南亚地区的特点。她还探讨了中国外交部与军队以及中共中央对外联络部之间的关系，以及中国外交政策的未来走向。

Deep Dive

Chapters
The book "China's Rising Foreign Ministry" challenges the common perception of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) as weak or uninfluential. The author, Dylan Loh Ming Hui, argues that the MFA's influence has grown significantly, supported by evidence such as China's extensive diplomatic network and the elevation of its leaders within the political hierarchy.
  • Traditional assessments of China's MFA often portray it as weak or uninfluential, a claim the book challenges.
  • The author employed a comprehensive methodology involving interviews, case studies, and primary documents to analyze the MFA's role.
  • The book explores the puzzle of China's assertive foreign policy in the 2010s and the MFA's involvement.

Shownotes Transcript

Most observers of China’s relations with the world maintain that China’s foreign policy started becoming more assertive beginning in the 2010s. The label “wolf warrior diplomacy” was coined by Western media to describe the aggressive language used by Chinese diplomats. The term “wolf warrior” comes from the title of the Chinese action film Wolf Warrior 2 and describes a more combative approach used by many Chinese diplomats, especially in social media and in interviews.

Explanations for China’s increased diplomatic assertiveness vary, ranging from rising military and economic might to the personal leadership style of General Secretary Xi Jinping. A recently published book titled “China’s Rising Foreign Ministry,” investigates the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in shaping and implementing Chinese foreign policy. In the words of a Southeast Asian diplomat who was interviewed by the book’s author, “China has a bigger international influence in the last five years—and it is the PRC foreign ministry that is pushing and driving it" (114).

Host Bonnie Glaser is joined by the book’s author Dylan Loh Ming Hui, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Global Affairs at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. His research focuses on Chinese foreign policy, Southeast Asian regionalism, and Asian conceptions of the international order. 

 

Timestamps

[01:57] What questions was the book seeking to address? 

[04:29] What do observers get wrong about China’s foreign ministry? 

[08:22] China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Policy Formulation

[13:30] Characteristics of Chinese Diplomacy in Southeast Asia

[16:50] Relationship Between the Chinese MFA and PLA 

[20:10] The Role of the International Liaison Department

[22:22] Interview Example from Dylan’s Publication

[25:04] Policy Implications and Lessons to be Learned

[28:43] Changes Since the Publication of the Book

[32:15] Predictions for the Future of the China MFA