ABSTRACT
In this volume, seven case studies of China are presented under the lens of international norms and in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. The main findings of the case chapters are as follows: (1) there are noticeable variations across issue areas in terms of the congruence between domestic norms and international ones in China. (2) Under a top-down regulatory approach, the expected normative internalization lags behind the construction of relevant norms, resulting in constant implementation gaps between words and deeds. (3) The normative function of the networks built under the Belt and Road Initiative is still limited, and China still lacks ideational power to behave like an effective norm entrepreneur. A couple of assumptions have been deduced to tentatively explain the findings. These assumptions call for future empirical studies to justify and urge more academic attention paid to China’s normative power in a fast-changing international context.
