The European Union and China: Decision-Making in EU Foreign and Security Policy towards the People's Republic of China (DGAP-Miscellanies about ... / DGAP-Schriften zur Internationalen Politik)

With a focus on China, this dissertation analyzes the influence of interest groups, as well as the decision-making procedures on the national and the European level, on EU trade and security policy. As the emerging power of the 21st century, China challenges the Europeans economically, politically, and ideologically - in their very identity. How does the European Union react to this challenge? Who decides what kind of policy the EU will adopt towards China? Which roles do business interests, the media, or the US play? Based on rational choice and a multi-level approach, this process analysis focuses on decisions made during the 2003-2005 arms embargo debate and the textile dispute, regarding decisions as 'building blocks' for policy. The analysis concludes with concrete policy-recommendations for a successful and farsighted EU policy towards the People's Republic of China. The book provides an insight for academics, as well as for decision-makers from business and politics, on how decisions in European foreign and security policy are influenced and turned into policy, particularly towards China. Dissertation.