Beyond bilateralism: rethinking the study of China's international relations

Abstract

This paper attempts to provide a new framework of analysis for understanding China’s international relations. It argues that “traditional” conceptions of international relations, based on “statist” and “realist” methodology, do not capture the dynamics of China’s international relations in an era of globalisation. Rather, we need to consider the analytical tools of international political economy as a means of breaking down the barriers between the domestic and the international, and between politics and economics. At the same time as enriching the study of China, such an approach can also enrich the discipline of international political economy, by breaking away from the OECD-centric nature of much research in the field.