Trajectories to becoming international relations actors in china’s BRI initiative: a comparative study of the Guangdong and Yunnan provinces

Abstract

While Chinese paradiplomacy has received growing academic attention, little is known about how different provinces within China act as international relations players of their own accord. This paper adopts a comparative perspective to address this gap. It develops three dimensions of international actorness (authority, motivation, and instruments) to examine whether and how Chinese provinces have satisfied the criteria for being international relations actors through their engagements in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Using Guangdong and Yunnan as examples, this paper casts light on the plural occasions in which the de-centralized state control of foreign affairs and the growing external activism of provincial entities have worked in tandem to widen the footprints of said provincial entities in the countries of the BRI. Drawing on Guangdong-Hong Kong competition and Yunnan-Guangxi rivalry, this paper unpacks the motivations of provincial engagements in the BRI by exploring the utility of imitation tactics used to gain comparative advantages vis-à-vis their domestic counterparts. While comparing the Guandong and Yunnan’s leveraging of strategic instruments, this paper also reveals Guangdong’s strong globalist, mercantile mentality in its external interactions, in contrast with the more regionalist and stability-oriented approach of Yunnan.

Keywords:

• Comparative subnational diplomacy
• Guangdong
• paradiplomacy
• the Belt and Road initiative
• Xi Jinping
• Yunnan

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Interview, Yangon, November 2019.

2 It should be noted that this study does not assume a root cause behind the provinces’ activism in their external engagements, as what essentially motivates provincial engagement in international relations might be multifarious, and a point of contention. Chinese paradiplomatic activities might not share a common core in terms of what constitutes their fundamental motivation. The competition between provinces, for example, may appear in one context (explored in this paper), but be absent in others.

3 Interview, Guangzhou, August 2019.

4 Interview, Shenzhen, September 2019.

5 The One Axis refers to the Singapore-Nanning Economic Corridor, and the Two Wings to the Mekong subregion on the one hand and the Maritime Southeast Asia on the other.

Additional information

Funding

This project is funded by The National Social Science Fund of China, "Go Global Strategy of China High-speed Rail" [Grant no. 15BGJ046].

Notes on contributors

Tianyang Liu

Tianyang Liu is an associate professor in School of Politics and Public Administration at Wuhan University. He obtained his PhD in international security from the University of Melbourne, Australia, in 2019. He has written articles on political system, non-traditional security, subnational diplomacy in non-western contexts. His current research focuses on the international relations of China, with special interests in Chinese paradiplomacy, political conflict and counter-terrorism. His recent publications appear on Political Geography, Terrorism and Political Violence, Asian Studies Review, International Relations of the Asia-pacific, Communist and Post-Communist Studies, International Communication Gazette, SAGE Open and beyond.

Yao Song

Yao Song is a guest lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen). He obtained his PhD in international relations from the University of Melbourne, Australia, in 2019. At present, he is working on subnational diplomacy, the Mainland-Hong Kong relations, and Beijing’s maritime strategies. His recent works are published in International Relations of the Asia-Pacific and Sage Open.