Beyond revisionism and the status quo: China's strategy of selective reformism in the liberal international order

Abstract

China's growing influence has fueled the discussion on the future of the Liberal International Order (LIO) while at the same time raising doubts about China's interaction with the current order. This article concentrates on the central puzzle: How to measure China's cooperation with and reform of the Liberal International Order while at the same time measuring its resistance? It is conceptual and qualitative in nature and applies the realist and liberal institutionalist perspectives to analyse China's behavior, followed by a discussion on the China's engagement in each of the dimensions of the LIO. The analysis shows that both of these viewpoints alone offer a plausible account of China's behavior abroad. Instead, China's actions indicate a policy of selective reformism that involves staying attuned to the institutions that advance its national interests, while attempting to reform the institutions in a gradual way that is not seen as compromising sovereignty and regime security. It is suggested that selective reformism is a more complete prism for analyzing China's current international actions and can aid in discussions of the development of the Liberal International Order in a multipolar world order.