China’s Authoritarian Expansionism Under Xi Jinping: Regime Survival as Primary Driving Force

Since the 19th Party Congress, China has been asserting its model of (authoritarian) governance as an alternative to liberal democracy and affirming its desire to export it. Since it can harm their economy and political power, boldly voicing the goal of authoritarian expansionism seems counterproductive. There is no consensus on the driving force behind China's authoritarian expansionism. This thesis employs a multidisciplinary approach to formulate a more nuanced and comprehensive explanation. Three established explanations—‘security from foreign intervention,’ ‘popular legitimacy through ideology,’ and ‘solving elite rivalry’—are identified and tested using process tracing to find the most plausible explanation. None of the explanations emerged as adequate; therefore, this thesis proposes a new explanation of ‘regime survival’ as the primary driving force behind authoritarian expansionism. 'Popular legitimacy through ideology,’ and ‘solving elite rivalry,' are domestic dynamics...Show moreSince the 19th Party Congress, China has been asserting its model of (authoritarian) governance as an alternative to liberal democracy and affirming its desire to export it. Since it can harm their economy and political power, boldly voicing the goal of authoritarian expansionism seems counterproductive. There is no consensus on the driving force behind China's authoritarian expansionism. This thesis employs a multidisciplinary approach to formulate a more nuanced and comprehensive explanation. Three established explanations—‘security from foreign intervention,’ ‘popular legitimacy through ideology,’ and ‘solving elite rivalry’—are identified and tested using process tracing to find the most plausible explanation. None of the explanations emerged as adequate; therefore, this thesis proposes a new explanation of ‘regime survival’ as the primary driving force behind authoritarian expansionism. 'Popular legitimacy through ideology,’ and ‘solving elite rivalry,' are domestic dynamics that interact and threaten regime preservation. Authoritarian expansionism allows for policies that could resolve these threats, at least in the short term.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

China’s Authoritarian Expansionism Under Xi Jinping: Regime Survival as Primary Driving Force