The Institutional Constraints in the United States` China Policymaking: The Role of Congress

Abstract

What role has Congress played and will continue to play in the United States’ China policymaking? Which factors affect congressional behavior in this regard? By answering these questions, this article examines the domestic institutional forces in American China policymaking. It argues that the United States’ China policy will not only be shaped by international constraints, but also by domestic institutional constraints. The article reviews the history of executive-legislative competition in U.S. foreign policymaking and argues that the United States’ China policy has become an issue of interbranch contention, with a reemergence in Congress of a strong commitment to democracy and freedom after the collapse of communism. However, this article concludes that the U.S. federal government’s unique constitutionally-arranged structure may help balance conflicting interests in its China policies.