China’s foreign policy apparatus is much more than just the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
By
February 03, 2021
China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, during a 2014 meeting at the Pentagon.
Credit: U.S. Department of Defense photo
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During the Cold War, the American foreign policy establishment had to develop comprehensive mechanisms to counter Soviet influence campaigns. Not only did the United States need a robust State Department to engage in traditional state-centric diplomacy, but also sophisticated intelligence-gathering networks, global military strategies, and long-term soft power operations. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, countries have primarily reoriented their diplomatic energies back to a traditional state-centric approach. Today, this is chiefly where the United States remains. However, in the face of a rising China, the United States and its allies need to develop a more nuanced approach to interacting with Chinese foreign policy.