Unpacking EU Policy Making towards China How Member States, Bureaucracies, and Institutions Shape its China Economic Policy

Based on a study of three political economy-related cases, it demonstrates what approaches not just apply, but apply best in various stages of the policy cycle, why some models apply to several policy stages, and why some seem to work better than others in certain policy stages.

‘Unpacking EU Policy-Making towards China is a must-read for those wanting a richer understanding of the forces driving EU economic policy. Featuring in-depth analyses of EU disputes with China in areas like solar panels and telecommunications, this book reveals what analytical tools best illuminate EU policy-making at various stages of the policy process. It is invaluable to academics, businesspeople, and decision-makers interested in the EU and EU-China relations specifically, and foreign economic policy generally.’

-Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Ph.D., Founding Executive Director, Mr. & Mrs. S.H. Wong Center for the Study of Multinational Corporations.

This book examines different intellectual frameworks for international relations, including the bureaucratic politics model, neorealism, and institutionalism as tools for understanding the European Union’s (EU) China policy. Based on a study of three political economy-related cases, it demonstrates what approaches not just apply, but apply best in various stages of the policy cycle, why some models apply to several policy stages, and why some seem to work better than others in certain policy stages. The three cases include the EU-China solar panel dispute (2012–2018), the EU investigation into Chinese mobile telecommunications networks (2012–2014), and the EU’s response to China’s rise in Africa via the European Commission initiated EU-China-Africa trilateral cooperation initiative in 2008. Those interested in EU-China affairs can apply this innovative analytical framework to these three cases and a wide range of other issues; scholars, journalists, diplomats, and businesspeople will find this book of value. Bas Hooijmaaijers is Assistant Professor and Chenhui Research Fellow in the School of Advanced International and Area Studies at East China Normal University (Shanghai, China) and a Research Fellow at the Leuven International and European Studies Institute at KU Leuven (Leuven, Belgium).