Abstract
In a letter to the first Silk Road NGO Cooperation Network Forum in 2017, the Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote: “NGOs are an important force for promoting economic and social development and participating in international cooperation and global governance” (Xinhua 2017). This and other events brought a trend to the forefront that has gained momentum in recent years: Chinese NGOs increasingly internationalize and implement development projects beyond the borders of their nation, such as, for instance, a Chinese foundation, which established an office in Kenya and distributes learning supplies to children in African countries. More examples are, an environmental NGO advocating for a more positive environmental and social impact of Chinese investments and economic activities in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI; 一带一路), as well as a South Chinese organization cooperating with a Thai NGO to build an international charity garden in Thailand, supporting the local community with sanitation projects, drug control, and language training. This book investigates the political dimension of the so-called going global or going out (走出去) trend of Chinese NGOs. The following introduction outlines the books’ objectives, approach, structure, and highlights the most pertinent insights it offers.
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Notes
- 1.
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are organizations that are non-profit and non-state in nature. A detailed definition of Chinese NGOs and a discussion of the usage of the term NGO in the Chinese context is provided in section 2.1.
- 2.
民间组织是推动经济社会发展、参与国际合作和全球治理的重要力量。
- 3.
In this study, I use the term Western or West to refer to the so-called Western world or political West, which encompasses the majority of Europe, Northern America, and Australasia. The terms West versus East are used in the context of an East–West Dichotomy, which Chinese narratives often refer to. The West is often also understood synonymously with the Northern half of a global North–South divide.
- 4.
The “color revolutions” are a series of peaceful resistance movements. They were first centered on countries of the former Soviet Union and the Balkans, but gradually the term was also used to describe pro-democracy and anti-authoritarianism movements in many different world regions. The “Arab spring” describes a series of anti-government protests and often violent rebellions between 2010 and 2012 that led to an overthrow of existing structures in many countries in the Arab world.
- 5.
The terms “panda-huggers” and “dragon-slayers” describe two types of China-watchers and two attitudes towards dealing with China. The terms have long been used to distinguish between China advocates and China antagonists. Recently, the terms are used with increased force and gained new significance as confrontations with China-related topics are mostly biased in one direction or the other.
- 6.
Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679, English philosopher), Immanuel Kant (1724–1804, German philosopher), and Michel Foucault (1926–1984, French philosopher) are examples for European thinkers with a strong influence on Western political theory.
- 7.
Mengzi (孟子; 372–289 BC, Chinese philosopher), Han Fei (韓非; 281–233 BC, Chinese philosopher), and Mao Zedong (毛泽东; 1893–1976, chairman and founder of the CCP; Maoism (毛泽东思想, Mao Zedong Thought) is Mao’s version of Marxism-Leninism and still a recognized political philosophy in China), are examples for Chinese thinkers that influence the Chinese political discourse.
- 8.
See section 4.1.2. on global governance and NGOs for an explanation of the global governance perspectives and a more detailed derivation of the presumptions.
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Ketels, A. (2023). Introduction. In: NGOs in China’s Foreign Policy. Bürgergesellschaft und Demokratie. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-42372-8_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-42372-8_1
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