The Socialization of China`s Assertiveness: Examining Waltz`s Neorealist Mechanism of ＂Socialization＂ in China`s Regional Security Relations

Abstract

This is a study of learning and socialization in China`s foreign security policy, examining how China has at times been more assertive and in other instances has taken a more accommodating approach in its foreign security policy behavior. This paper argues that China has been ＂socialized＂ by its international security environment by exploring Kenneth Waltz`s theoretical mechanism of the ＂socialization＂ of states in the international system. The 1995-1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis and the early 2000s, the Senkaku/Diaoyutai crises from 2012 to 2015, and the South China Sea in the mid-1990s are all instances in which China has employed force only to suffer strategically. This has eventually led to a less confrontational posture and contributed to the pursuit of a more cooperative engagement strategy with both Southeast Asia (from 1998 to 2008) and Taiwan (2006-2016). Variations in China`s assertiveness can be explained by the combination of domestic politics and signals from China`s international security environment.