Politics - China

Question 1

Sovereignty

Answer 1

Legitimate or widely recognised ability to exercise effective control of a territory within recognised borders.

Question 2

National interests

Answer 2

The national interests of a state are pursued to ensure the survival and potential growth of that state.

Question 3

Power

Answer 3

Refers to the ability of one global actor to influence the actions of another global actor. Power can be exercised in a range of types.

Question 4

Security

Answer 4

Security refers to the protection of a state’s borders from intruders and the maintenance of sovereignty, most commonly achieved through the use of military power.

Question 5

Idealism

Answer 5

Refers to a school of thought in which policy is influenced primarily by an ideological principle, as opposed to practical and pragmatic considerations.

Question 6

Pragmatism

Answer 6

A school of thought in which policy is influenced primarily by practical considerations, as opposed to a particular ideology.

Question 7

Hard power

Answer 7

Refers to power exercised through incentive or coercion to influence the actions of other global actors.

Case - 9 Dash Line claim in the South China Sea

Question 8

Soft power

Answer 8

Refers to the ability of one global actor to shape the actions of other global actors via attraction, with the absence of incentive or coercion.

Case - Confucius Institutes

Question 9

Grey zone power

Answer 9

Grey-zone activities are coercive statecraft actions short of war.

Case - South China Sea, militarisation of disputed islands

Question 10

Sharp power

Answer 10

Sharp power is the use of manipulative diplomatic policies.

Case - Confucius Institutes

Question 11

Military power

Answer 11

Refers to the use of a state’s military to exert influence over the actions of other global actors.

Case - China/India border dispute

Question 12

Economic power

Answer 12

Economic power refers to a state’s ability to influence the actions of another state through finance and trade.

Case - Regional Economic Cooperation Partnership – World’s largest free trade deal

Question 13

Political power

Answer 13

Refers to the use of a state’s internal political machinery to exert influence over the actions of others.

Case - Persecution of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang province

Question 14

Diplomatic power

Answer 14

The legal authority bestowed by a government onto an individual or group of individuals to represent the state in diplomatic negotiations.

Case - Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

Question 15

Cultural power

Answer 15

Refers to a desirable and transportable culture that states can use to achieve ends that might not be achieved through military and political means.

Case - Confucius Institutes

Question 16

Foreign Policy

Answer 16

Are the strategies and activities that the state uses when dealing with other state and non state actors. These external relationships are guided by national interest.

Question 17

Diplomacy

Answer 17

Refers to the ability to conduct effective negotiations between states without arousing hostility.

China’s UN Security Council Position

Question 18

Trade

Answer 18

Refers to the manipulation of the exchange of goods, services, labour and capital to influence the actions of another state.

Case - Regional Economic Cooperation Partnership – World’s largest free trade deal

Question 19

Military

Answer 19

Military as a foreign policy instrument refers to the military capacity of a state and how this is utilised to achieve its foreign policy objectives.

Case - China/India border dispute

Question 20

Aid

Answer 20

Refers to the provision of assistance, predominantly monetary, to global actors with the intention of influencing their decisions and actions in order to achieve a specific aim.

Case - Cambodia

Question 21

Chinese Dream

Answer 21

The objective is for China to become a “modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, civilised, and harmonious.”