China's Foreign Policy in Fragile states

Abstract

This report examines China’s foreign policy in fragile states. With its economic rise over the last three decades, China has come to play an increasingly prominent role on the world stage. Accounts of Chinese foreign policy often focus either on China’s relationship to other great powers or its expansion into a specific region, such as Africa or Latin America. Here we attempt to approach Chinese foreign policy from a different angle—namely, that of its policy in countries of heightened political instability. Does China have a specific policy for fragile states, as distinct from its various regional strategies? To begin to answer this question, we examine the cases of four fragile states in different parts of the world: Angola, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Nepal. Our research draws on published economic data and recent scholarship on China’s political objectives. Our conclusion is that China goes to great lengths to foster stability, particularly in countries with strategic importance, even if it does not have a specific “fragile states” policy.