Wu Xinbo, “Paradigm Shifts in the Study of Sino-U.S. Relations  in the Post-Cold War Era and Its Implications: Commemorating the 40th  Anniversary of Sino-U.S. Diplomatic Normalization,”

【Abstract】 From the early 1990s till today, the study of  Sino-U.S. relations in China has gone through the stages of rise, growth  and expansion. The process also witnessed notable shift in the research  paradigm in the following ways: from concentrating on bilateral context  to paying attention to multilateral context, from interest-orientation  to power balance-orientation, from stressing on cooperation to giving  consideration to both cooperation and competition, from taking account  of the impact of systematic level on unit-level or vice versa, from  focusing mainly on foreign strategy and policy to exploring respective  internal political, economic, social and cultural factors, from an  empirical approach to one borrowing more and more from IR theory and  methodology. As a matter of fact, the paradigm shifts as described above  stands as a reflection of a series of changes in the following  dimensions: power balance between China and the United States, foreign  policy-making circumstances on both sides, primary motives behind their  respective approaches to the relationship, patterns of interactions  between the two countries, and the impact of Sino-U.S. relationship on  international affairs. Furthermore, changes occurred in China, the U.S.  as well as their bilateral ties also mirror some of the major  adjustments in international politics in the post-Cold War era: shifting  power balance among major powers, changing pattern of interactions  between the East and the West, salience of global governance issues, as  well as the accelerating pace of evolution in international system and  international order.

【Keywords】 Sino-U.S. relations, research paradigm, international politics, post-Cold War Era

【Author】Wu Xinbo, Professor, Director of the Center for American  Studies and Dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan  University

         Link to the Full Text：http://www.iis.fudan.edu.cn/88/bb/c6852a166075/page.htm