China's Foreign Relations and the Survival of Autocracies

"China has long asserted that in its foreign policy, it follows a policy of non-interference in other countries' domestic politics. Bader (Univ. of Amsterdam) examines that claim and finds "some evidence" that China is more likely to target autocracies for economic cooperation than more democratic countries. Her analysis moves from a broad general analysis of Chinese foreign relations to three intensive case studies: Burma, Cambodia, and Mongolia. In her carefully argued conclusion, she posits three hypotheses for further exploration: China is more successful in realizing its foreign policy interests with autocratic countries, China targets such countries for economic collaboration, and autocratic leaders of these countries reap significantly more benefit from the relationship than the populaces of those countries do. Written for academic audiences, the work belongs in large university libraries with significant East Asian holdings. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections." - CHOICE, J. A. Rhodes, emeritus, Luther College