Xiaoyu Pu

Rebranding China

Contested Status Signaling in the Changing Global Order

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Xiaoyu Pu is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is also a Public Intellectuals Program Fellow with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Stanford University Press
• Seitenzahl: 176
• Erscheinungstermin: 15. Januar 2019
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 236mm x 161mm x 20mm
• Gewicht: 402g
• ISBN-13: 9781503606838
• ISBN-10: 150360683X
• Artikelnr.: 50909521

Autorenporträt

Xiaoyu Pu is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is also a Public Intellectuals Program Fellow with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

Inhaltsangabe

Contents and Abstracts
1Introduction
chapter abstract
This chapter provides an overview of the research question, key concepts,
and research design of the book. China has been sending contradictory
signals about its status and role in the twenty-first century, sometimes
emphasizing its great power status and other times presenting itself as a
fragile developing country. Instead of focusing on China's struggle for
more recognition as a great power, the book suggests that China is facing a
more complicated challenge of international image projection. China's
future challenge will be to manage its conflicting roles and images in ways
that advance its national interests while not engendering dangerous
misperceptions and expectations among its neighbors and the rest of the
global community. This book takes a multimethod approach, including case
studies, content analysis, and interviews.
2Status Signaling in International Relations
chapter abstract
This chapter discusses the theoretical framework of status signaling in
international politics. Status signaling is the use of a particular subset
of signals to convey the information that a state is asserting a particular
standing in international society. In a general sense, status signaling is
the mechanism of information transmission that aims to change or maintain a
special type of status belief among relevant political actors. Each
audience is different, so an emerging power sends different status signals.
There are various means through which the national leaders can signal the
preferred status of their nation. This chapter identifies strategies and
tactics of status signaling: conspicuous consumption, conspicuous giving,
and strategic spinning.
3China on the World Stage: Multiple Audiences, Competing Expectations
chapter abstract
This chapter describes China's multiple identities and audiences in detail.
China's identities include that of socialist country, developing country,
both emerging and established great power, and quasi superpower, and its
audiences include the domestic, regional, global South, and Western
domains. While China certainly intends to build a positive image, the
country has multiple incentives to project different images. This chapter
illuminates the various motivations of China's signaling behaviors.
4Domestic Audience, Nationalism, and Weapons of Mass Consumption
chapter abstract
This chapter opens with a conceptual analysis of how China signals a higher
status through conspicuous consumption in international relations. It then
turns to the importance of domestic audience and nationalism. The chapter
discusses China's aircraft carrier project and 2015 military parade,
examining the underlying motivations and comparing the status signaling
argument with competing approaches.
5Red Mask and White Mask: Charm Offensive, Selective Coercion, and China's
Regional Diplomacy
chapter abstract
This chapter analyzes China's competing images in regional diplomacy. China
signaled a higher status as a regional leader through conspicuous giving in
the Asian financial crisis, and China has strengthened its charm offensive
strategy in recent years. However, China has also tried to defend its
maritime claims through selective coercion. The two faces of China's
regional diplomacy pose a challenge to regional order.
6Lying Low or Striving for Achievement: Global Financial Crisis and Spin
Doctoring in Beijing
chapter abstract
This chapter analyzes China's strategic spinning during the global
financial crisis. Facing two types of global audiences (the global South
and the West), China sometimes highlights its profile as an emerging great
power and other times downplays its profile by emphasizing its developing
country status. A developing country status serves multiple purposes for
China. Targeting the West, signaling a developing country status sends a
reassuring message, and it allows China to shirk greater international
responsibilities. Targeting the global South, signaling a developing
country status plays the solidarity card. The tension between China's great
power status and its identity of developing country is bound to increase as
China seeks a new role in the twenty-first century.
7Conclusion
chapter abstract
The concluding chapter summarizes the findings and implications for China's
foreign policy, status politics, and signaling in international relations
more broadly. Applying the analytical framework of status signaling, the
chapter also provides a preliminary analysis of Xi Jinping's foreign policy
in a new era.