Source (World Intellectual Property) This blog post argues that bureaucracies have a greater impact in foreign policy formulation when applied to the case study of China’s flagship Belt and Road initiative (hereafter known as BRI), with Xi’s increasing centralisation of foreign policy making power not directly applying to BRI formulation. Instead, Xi and the NRDC’sContinue reading “Who has a greater impact in formulating BRI – leadership or bureaucracies?”
Category Archives: Asia
What does IR theory say about nuclear proliferation policies regarding North Korea?
Image Source (Stephen) Written by James Lo This is the second part of a three part series on using nuclear proliferation theories to analyse current nuclear proliferation foreign policies. In part one, I provided a succinct summary of various theories. In this post, I will argue that Etel Solingen’s nuclear proliferation theory, outlined in NuclearContinue reading “What does IR theory say about nuclear proliferation policies regarding North Korea?”
China, Socialisation and the Legitimacy of Environmental Foreign Policy
Image Source Written by James Lo China’s environmental foreign policy can be split in two stages. From 1980s to early 2000s, socialisation occurred through the interactions between China and international regimes such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). However, post 2009, China’s environmental foreign policy was orientated around the idea ofContinue reading “China, Socialisation and the Legitimacy of Environmental Foreign Policy”
Taiwan, Soft Balancing and Hong Kong Protests
Image Source (Edmund Yeo) Written by James Lo Building on last week’s post on the stances that Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar took on Hong Kong protests, this essay will look at Taiwan’s stance towards the Hong Kong Protests. Taiwan is the only Asian country to have outwardly spoken in support of Hong Kong protestors andContinue reading “Taiwan, Soft Balancing and Hong Kong Protests”
Bandwagon or Balance: Asian countries’ stances on Hong Kong Protests
Image Source (Judy Gallagher) Written by James Lo Anti-government protests have rocked Hong Kong since March 2019 against proposals to introduce an extradition treaty into Hong Kong legislation. Protestors fear that the Hong Kong citizens’ civil liberties are under threat and they will potentially be open to a disproportionate amount of influence from China, especiallyContinue reading “Bandwagon or Balance: Asian countries’ stances on Hong Kong Protests”
IR theory in Practice 