The dynamics of foreign-policy decisionmaking in China

the long version

Drawing on archival materials, interviews, and personal experiences, Lu Ning, former assistant to a vice-foreign minister of China, provides unique insights into the key players and the formal as well as informal structures, processes, mechanisms, and dynamics of foreign-policy decision-making in Beijing. Lu sheds light on such controversial decisions as China's entering the Korean War, selling DF-3 missiles to Saudi Arabia in 1986, and cooperating with the Israeli defense establishment. Offering an insightful view of the inner workings of Beijing's foreign ministry, Lu introduces new Chinese language sources and presents a series of case studies that challenge existing Western theoretical analysis of Chinese policymaking. Based on his examination of the past forty years, Lu makes predictions about likely changes in Beijing's leadership and in its foreign-policy decisionmaking process. This accessibly written, incisive book will be invaluable to anyone interested in Sinology, Chinese foreign policy, comparative foreign policy, and contemporary international relations of East Asia.