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China's growing influence in Latin America
Garcia Escalona, Zhayra Geraldine ; Březinová, Kateřina (advisor) ; Kučera, Tomáš (referee)
The geopolitical implications of China's rising influence, especially in regard to growing China-US tensions is often limited to the larger system level, disregarding the role that regions can play. Additionally, the focus of scholarship and policy on the China threat rhetoric as well as implicit biases of Western IR analytical frameworks have resulted in a deficient understanding of China's motivations and foreign policy. Moreover, there are not many studies accounting for the latter in the context of the Latin American and Caribbean region, which points at a shortcoming in the literature. As such, this thesis seeks to reframe the perspectives used to understand Chinese foreign policy and offer insight into its workings, positing that ideational components (namely narratives evoking commonalities) are intrinsic to it and economic ones are secondary, contrary to common knowledge. At the same time, this thesis sustains that there is value in acknowledging the regional sub-system level in any geopolitical assessment, as it pertains to the system level interplay. To this purpose, the thesis dissects China's influence aims by grounding them on Chinese and Latin American perspectives, and relates them to China's foreign policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on mask and vaccine diplomacy. It then...
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Desecuritisation and Strategic Narratives: China's 16/17+1 Initiative in the Central and Eastern European Countries
Zhai, Dongyu ; Hornát, Jan (advisor) ; Weiss, Tomáš (referee) ; Snetkov, Aglaya (referee)
This dissertation uses Critical Discourse Analysis to examine China's strategic use of desecuritised language in its 16/17+1 foreign policy targeting the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region. Through the lens of securitisation theory and strategic narratives, the analysis suggests that China's foreign policy narrative targeting the CEE countries is strategic in nature and is a representation of China's ambition to form a new global order. As such, the desecuritisation strategies are used instrumentally to alleviate 'China threat' perception, increase the attractiveness of China in the region, and to further achieve its economic and geopolitical goals. Among political elites in the Visegrád 4 countries, namely Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, the level of reception of China's strategic narratives varies. The pro-China attitude at the governmental level is mainly motivated by economic incentives promised in the Chinese narrative as well as the governments' own political agendas. In a parallel process, converse anti-China sentiments and re-securitisation of China in the countries are largely connected to the primacy of the trans-Atlantic relationship with the US as well as the importance attached to European values. Keywords Chinese foreign policy, Central and Eastern European Countries,...
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Chinese Foreign Policy in Central Europe
Havrda, Vojtěch ; Handl, Vladimír (advisor) ; Sehnálková, Jana (referee)
This paper analyzes new phenomenon of regionalism in Chinese foreign policy in Central Europe. After introducing the theoretical concept of Chinese regional foreign politics, 16+1 cooperation platfrorm is described. The regional platform refers to a mechanism of cooperation between China and sixteen Central and Eastern European countries, which was formed after the Warsaw summit took place in 2012. For the purpose of the research, the region was narrowed to the Central Europe (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary). The paper aims to find out whether Chinese foreign policy in Central Europe has been succesfull, which will be measured by analyzing by China's ability to achieve its declared goals. These were made public at the Warsaw summit in 2012. Moreover, using five different criteria (mutual political treaties, institutionalization of the bilateral relations, frequency of high political meetings, attendance of representatives at the 16+1 platform summits and the size of mutual trade), the paper describes the dynamics of bilateral relationships between China and the Central European countries. After analyzing which declared goals had been achieved and looking at the dynamics of the bilateral relations, the paper concludes that Chinese foreign policy in Central Europe has not been succesfull,...
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Cultural and historical factors influencing China's behaviour in international relations
Janáčková, Zuzana ; Knotková, Vladimíra (advisor) ; Havlová, Radka (referee)
The aim of this bachelor's thesis is to make an analysis of a cultural and historical influence on a China's position and behaviour in international relations. The work examines the period of Chinese modern times, particularly the second half of the twentieth century. The main selected characteristics of Chinese philosophy and culture are applied on the Chinese foreign policy; the analysis and application of Geert Hofstede's cultural paradigms for Chinese culture is included as well. The main selected aspects of Chinese history and their influence are analysed after that, both in the given period and in present. The conclusion summarises the influence of these factors on Chinese foreign policy and assesses whether this influence is significant. It also contains the evaluation whether the observed influence complies with the reality, it means whether the theory of Chinese foreign policy corresponds with its practice.
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China and Africa: the partnership rediscovered and the implications for the European Union
Kopecká, Petra ; Adamcová, Lenka (advisor) ; Knotková, Vladimíra (referee)
China is becoming an increasingly important actor in international political and economic relations. The pace of Chinese economic growth triggers a progressively growing demand for natural resources. After launching the "open-door" policy in the Chinese modern history (which attracted the important sources of capital inflows), the Chinese government introduced a "go-out" strategy for the Chinese companies to integrate them into the global structures. This strategy has its direct impacts on developing countries, where the Chinese presence is apparent the most. China is cooperating with all of the developing regions; however, sixty-year long cooperation with Africa is outstanding in many ways. In this continent China has to encounter other traditional actors -- European Union above all, as Africa constitutes a centrepiece in European development cooperation policy. The aim of this master thesis is to describe the shape and evolution of long-term Sino-African relations into today's "strategic partnership", which is being regarded as "rediscovered" in this thesis, and to conclude with the implications for the EU policy. To achieve this, the thesis is divided into three chapters. First chapter deals with the theoretical basis for the shape of Sino-African relations, in broad terms of Chinese foreign policy towards developing countries. The second chapter looks onto actual, mainly economic and developmental, impacts of the Chinese "go-out" strategy on Africa. The thesis indicates the approach of the European Union to the rediscovered partnership.
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