Lucie Qian Xia publishes new book 'The Diplomatic Making of EU-China Relations'

Date

13 May 2024

Lucie Qian Xia

Lucie Qian Xia, Departmental Lecturer in the Politics of International Relations of China at DPIR, has published The Diplomatic Making of EU-China Relations: Structure, Substance and Style with Routledge.

Dr. Xia’s book introduces a novel theoretical model of diplomatic relationship-building that brings to the fore the more nuanced and latent factors to make sense of EU-China diplomatic relationship-building; the new theory captures the ‘relational’ nature of diplomatic relationship-building by integrating the social layer of ‘intentions’ in understanding international diplomacy.

The book further sheds light on the opportunities and challenges in enhancing EU-China relations, through a comparative in-depth investigation of the processes, practices and politics of EU-China climate change and agricultural-trade relations over the past two decades.

‘Relations between the EU and China are a crucial but under-examined topic. Lucie Qian Xia's meticulous and rigorous study shows how, in practice, competition and collaboration can both take place. It is an important read both for scholars and policymakers.’

-Rana Mitter, Harvard University, USA

'How do the EU and China build their diplomatic relationship? What are the factors that shape their patterns of cooperation and conflict? This book addresses these questions by advancing a groundbreaking theoretical model of diplomatic relationship-building that incorporates the role of intentions in EU-China diplomacy. The book shows how the social layer of ‘'intentions'’ endows the EU and China with a '‘we-feeling'’ that invokes a shared vision and enables the minimization of frictions between the two parties. Based on extensive empirical research, the book reveals the complex and dynamic nature of EU-China relations and the importance of understanding the intentions of both actors. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in EU-China diplomacy and its future prospects.

-Corneliu Bjola, University of Oxford, UK