Structure and process in Chinese foreign policy

This paper looks at how the structure of authority and the way that the functions relating to the making of foreign policy are distributed in China’s state system affect the outlook of Chinese policy makers and the ways Canadians must approach China to gain action or attention to their interests. [...] The top decision-making body of the Party is the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Central Committee, which includes nine members, the majority of whom are ex officio representatives of functional governmental organs such as the Premier and the executive Vice-Premier of the State Council, the Chair of the National People’s Congress and the Chair of the Chinese People’s Political Consultat [...] Among the most notable of these is the weak integration of the foreign policy institutions of the MFA with the security and military policy organs of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) centered on the CMC. [...] These include the Vice-Chairs Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, the Minister of National Defence Liang Guanglie, the head of the General Staff Department Chen Bingde, the head of the General Political Department Li Jinai, the head of the General Logistics Department Liao Xilong and the head of the General Armaments Department Chang Wanquan. [...] Within the MFA normal bilateral relations are assigned to the geographic departments, and Canada is in the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs, that includes both Australia and New Zealand in addition to the US and the Pacific Islands.