In this NUPI interview, senior research fellow Dr. Marc Lanteigne talks with prof. William A. Callahan from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Since Xi Jinping became leader in 2012, he has redirected Chinese foreign policy. While it is popular to look to theories of the international system – offensive realism and liberal institutionalism – to explore this issue, this article follows constructivism to take seriously the role of ideas and domestic politics in foreign policy-making. Through an analysis of official and unofficial sources, it traces linkages between ideas, institutions and behavior in Chinese foreign policy. In particular, it argues that Beijing is combining new ideas (China Dream, Asia Dream, World Dream), new policies (comprehensive diplomacy and security), new institutions (AIIB), and new projects (BRI) to build what Xi calls the “community of shared destiny.” The goal is to weave neighboring countries into a Sino-centric network of economic, political, cultural and security relations. Beijing’s grand strategy thus is to re-constitute the Eurasian regional order – and eventually global order – with new governance ideas, norms, and rules. Theoretically, the essay shows how “connectivity” is more than an issue of the “hardware” of physical infrastructure; it is also a “software” issue of the connectivity of ideas, institutions and behavior in diplomacy itself.

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