By Xue Li and Xu Yanzhou
China’s foreign policy is hampered by bureaucratic restraints.
China’s foreign policy agenda will change significantly as it implements its “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) strategy. Not only will the number of departments involved greatly increase, but the field for proactive initiatives will expand. However, as foreign policy is made with incomplete information, it’s likely that the chances of mistakes in China’s policymaking process will also rise.
Since it is impossible to avoid policymaking mistakes, it’s a more realistic goal to reduce the number of mistakes by improving the collection and analysis of relevant information, strengthening the selection and summary of policy suggestions, and enhancing the quality of policymaking. This article will deal with the problems facing China’s foreign policy decision making. We will make suggestions for improving the process in tomorrow’s piece.
The U.S. has a well-developed foreign policymaking mechanism, where the government departments (and sometimes specialized agencies) are responsible for collecting and analyzing information and giving policy advice. Meanwhile, professional institutions (mainly think tanks) provide policy suggestions. The National Security Council and Cabinet will select, judge, and summarize the numerous policy suggestions, then form and recommend several plans for the president. The president then makes the final choice.
In contrast, China’s foreign policymaking mechanism has flaws in each step of the process: the collection and analysis of information, the selection and summary of policy suggestions, and the decision making.
Read the full story at The Diplomat