About the Speaker:

Dominik Mierzejewski is an Assistant Professor at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Lodz, Poland.  He studied the Chinese language at the Shanghai International Studies University from 1999 to 2000, and again from 2003 to 2004, and was on internship at the Heritage Foundation in 2003. In 2003, he was awarded the Jan Karski scholarship by the American Center of Polish Culture. From 2010 to 2011, he was a visiting professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Science.  He is a member of the Association for Asian Studies, the European International Studies Association, a board member of the European Association for Chinese Studies, and vice editor-in-chief of “Azja-Pacyfik” (yearbook) and “Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia” (Austria/South Korea).  His research focuses on China’s political development, rhetoric of Chinese foreign policy and leadership transition in the Communist Party of China.  He has published one monograph and dozens of articles in Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Abstract

The paper aims to presents the different approach on China’s foreign policy. As broaden public acknowledge China’s “go global” strategy involves new actor in Mainland China foreign activities – local authorities. To some extent the Chinese central government used the local to channel all this activities like it the case of Guangdong-ASEAN or Western China-Central Europe relations. In this context the paradiplomacy (sub-national actors) is relatively new phenomena in international relations. The key question to be answered in the paper is whether Chinese scholars perceive paradiplomacy as an important pillar of China’s foreign activities and to what extent the activity might play an important role in shaping Beijing’s foreign policy. The Author analyzes basic nations of paradiplomacy, the basic characteristic points of sub-national cooperation and the role played by local foreign activities in China’s foreign policy. In order to stimulate debate the Author put three major issues: what are the reasons for paradiplomacy/sub-national cooperation in China? What factors determine the balance between central and local? How do Chinese scholars approach the issue of sub-national cooperation? Finally, based on Lodz-Chengdu cooperation the Author explains the dynamic of “one road-one belt” policy and the role of Central European local governments.

Organised by IDSS China Programme and RSIS Events Unit.