The ‘Monster’ looming on the horizon? Research on,and understanding of,NATO in Chinese IR literature

Abstract

Largely due to China-related rhetoric at recent NATO summits, the NATO–China relationship has become a relevant topic in international relations. Apart from sporadic official responses in China, however, the discussion is mostly taking place in the West. This study contends that Chinese IR scholarship may be an understudied but valuable source for understanding the Chinese public debate on NATO. Through a bibliometric analysis of Chinese scholarly literature, complemented by an intensive reading of selected key research, our study finds that the research topic “NATO” has attracted modest scholarly interest in China, and that this interest may be increasing in response to recent geopolitical shifts. Chinese scholars tend to adopt a lens of great power competition when seeking to understand NATO. Furthermore, they predominantly aim to provide a wide array of policy recommendations, and Chinese IR scholarship and China's foreign policy are often mutually reinforcing.