Leiden University Student Repository

Hu, Ivy (2017)

Balancing Hope and Fear: How Can Small Countries Respond to China’s New Rise — A Case Study of the Netherlands

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

This thesis covers, by using the Netherlands as a case study, the position of small states in the international system. China’s rise as a leader in global governance has stirred up many debates in the West on how to cope with increasing Chinese activism in the world. There is the fear of China expanding its influence and challenging the existing Western institutions, but also the hope of China, bringing more opportunities to the developing and developed countries. This research will analyze Sino-Dutch trade and Chinese FDI in the Netherlands. In the end, a proposal will be provided on how the Dutch government can respond, by applying a constructivist approach with protectionist elements, and balance both the hopes and fears of Chinese influences in their domestic market.

International Relations

Small Countries Policy

Trade

Foreign Investment

Global Political Economy

China’s Rise

The Netherlands

Author

Hu, Ivy

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

International Studies

Supervisors

Wang, Z.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en