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The Diffusion of EU Norms to China: The Case of Tibet

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Importing EU Norms

Part of the book series: United Nations University Series on Regionalism ((UNSR,volume 8))

Abstract

This chapter considers the rejection of EU norms with regard to the issue of Tibet which remains to be a major irritant in EU‐China relations. It applies the theoretical claims of Normative Power Europe (NPE) to an empirical analysis of Tibet. The issue has become a sticking point that reflects: the uneasy relationship between the EU’s human rights concerns on Tibet and its implementation of Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) towards China; the tension between the EU’s normative and materialistic concerns; and the mismatch between norms of international law and the political reality of Chinese power. One of the key findings in this chapter suggests that the EU’s discourse on Tibet has been either rejected or shaped by China’s non‐negotiable stance. This is due to the inherent tension between the need to engage China in a comprehensive manner and remaining true to its values.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    Dr Wenwen Shen

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  1. Dr Wenwen Shen
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Correspondence to Wenwen Shen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden

    Annika Björkdahl

  2. National Centre for Research on Europe, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Natalia Chaban

  3. Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    John Leslie

  4. College of Business and Law, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Annick Masselot

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Shen, W. (2015). The Diffusion of EU Norms to China: The Case of Tibet. In: Björkdahl, A., Chaban, N., Leslie, J., Masselot, A. (eds) Importing EU Norms. United Nations University Series on Regionalism, vol 8. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13740-7_14

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