China's anti-piracy effort

Maritime security is vital for many states, and it is undermined by many acts, one of which is piracy. This threat is acknowledged by the extensive anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, in which China partakes. Even though piracy occurs in the South China Sea as well, China does not have a military anti-piracy operation in this area. Nonetheless, this area is vital for the operation of its economy. It is, therefore, important to analyze how the differences in these policies can be explained. By using different theoretical explanations (realism, liberal institutionalism, and constructivism), the objective of this thesis is to analyze which theory carries the most explanatory power, or if a combination of explanations could provide a better explanation to the seemingly contradictory policy. This is done through a method of congruence analysis, combined with process-tracing. After tracing China’s actions and developments in the Western Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, this...Show moreMaritime security is vital for many states, and it is undermined by many acts, one of which is piracy. This threat is acknowledged by the extensive anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, in which China partakes. Even though piracy occurs in the South China Sea as well, China does not have a military anti-piracy operation in this area. Nonetheless, this area is vital for the operation of its economy. It is, therefore, important to analyze how the differences in these policies can be explained. By using different theoretical explanations (realism, liberal institutionalism, and constructivism), the objective of this thesis is to analyze which theory carries the most explanatory power, or if a combination of explanations could provide a better explanation to the seemingly contradictory policy. This is done through a method of congruence analysis, combined with process-tracing. After tracing China’s actions and developments in the Western Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, this thesis finds that constructivism provides the best explanation for China’s different approaches, as anti-piracy cooperation merely served as a tool of statecraft.Show less

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China's anti-piracy effort