Sun Yun – “We Assume That Chinese Foreign Policy Is Not Rational or That They Are Not Logical”

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Nov 15, 2016
by Chris Hamill-Stewart
Sun Yun – “We Assume That Chinese Foreign Policy Is Not Rational or That They Are Not Logical”

Senior associate with the East Asia Program at the Henry I. Stimson Center discusses Western misconceptions about Chinese foreign policy, the Chinese perspective on North Korea, and China’s emerging place in the world

Sun Yun speaking during the session Leadership for Regional Co-operation in Asia for the 21st Century

Sun Yun, who attended Salzburg Global Seminar’s recent program strategy meeting Leadership for Regional Cooperation in Asia for the 21st Century, is a senior associate with the East Asian Program and visiting fellow at the Brookings Institute. Her expertise is in Chinese foreign policy, China’s relations with neighboring countries and authoritarian regimes. Throughout the meeting, which formed the basis for a new, planned multi-year series on leadership in the region, one of the prominent themes to emerge was the role of China in the region. While in Salzburg, Sun took some time to discuss some lesser known or understood elements of Chinese foreign policy, and to share her concerns for the future of China on the global level.

Sun argues that the primary misconception that people in the West, including media and politicians, have about Chinese foreign policy is “we assume that Chinese foreign policy is not rational or that they are not logical.” Sun continues, “We use our standard or our philosophy to judge what China is doing.”

Sun cites the case of North Korea as a prime example of this misunderstanding: “In our definition denuclearization is a top priority, and we believe it should be for all countries.” Western analysts, politicians and journalists apply this thought process to their analysis of Chinese policy in regards to the so-called “Hermit Kingdom.” “We criticize China’s foreign policy for not being smart enough to realize that denuclearization is a top priority,” says Sun, but from the Chinese perspective, when they look at North Korea, they don’t see what the West sees.

When China looks at North Korea, “They think about US presence in North East Asia and the possibility of Korean reunification, and what this might mean for a US presence on the Chinese border.”

According to Sun, the Chinese also ask: “If the North Korean regime can be changed because the world believes that they are not legitimate, what if someday the world sees China in the same way?” This explains the Chinese lifeline extended to North Korea: “The ending of the North Korean regime would set a bad precedent for China, which is also not a democratic regime.” Therefore, supporting the regime of North Korea also serves to protect the Chinese government in the long run.

It is clear that the Chinese prioritize their regional power, their territorial security, and the survival of their own regime over North Korea’s denuclearization. China and the West have deeply different priorities for their own foreign policies, the region, and the world.

However, the specific issue of North Korea is just one flash point of a much deeper question: “What does a status quo power do to a revisionist power? Do you try to push it down? Or, do you try to incorporate it into the current international system?”

Sun argues issues such as China’s acceptance of a pariah state (North Korea) are symptoms of a “revisionist or rising power” (China) challenging the “status quo power” (USA). Sun claims, “The power balance in the international system is constantly changing. Periodically, the system undergoes structural changes.” The so-called “rise of China” is one development in the international system that is causing these changes.

As it becomes clear that global power is shifting away from the US, and towards East and South East Asia, for Sun and many others, the question now is “is this change to the system going to happen in a violent format, or is it going to be a more peaceful transition?”

As Salzburg Global Seminar now seeks to expand upon the program strategy meeting held in October 2016 with its new series on Leadership for Regional Cooperation in Asia, questions such as this will remain at the forefront.


Sun Yun was a participant in the Salzburg Global session Leadership for Regional Cooperation in Asia for the 21st Century. More information on the session can be found here: /www.salzburgglobal.org/go/560