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Abstract
This paper investigates the internal restructuring of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under Xi Jinping’s leadership and its influence on policy-making and foreign policy behavior. Drawing on an integrated theoretical framework that combines the Bureaucratic Politics Model and Two-Level Game Theory, the study examines how China's increasingly centralized political architecture allows for a more coherent implementation of policies from the top down. The paper argues that the restructuring of the CCP through the consolidation of decision-making power within the Politburo Standing Committee, the elevation of Party-led commissions, and the expanding control over state bureaucracies not only enhance administrative efficiency but also to strategically align domestic priorities with China’s international ambitions. Domestic economic policies, often managed by Party-led bureaucracies, now function as instruments of external leverage. This analysis contributes to a more nuanced understanding of China's domestic–international policy nexus, particularly how centralized authority and controlled bureaucratic channels reduce fragmentation in domestic preferences, thereby shaping China’s negotiation behavior, strategic signaling, and foreign policy consistency.
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References
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References
Allen, G. C., & Goldston, I. (2025). Understanding U.S. allies’ current legal authority to implement AI and semiconductor export controls. https://www.csis.org/analysis/understanding-us-allies-current-legal-authority-implement-ai-and-semiconductor-export#:~:text=China%20also%20has%20the%20authority,use%20basis%20if%20it%20desires.&text=Allied%20countries%20surveyed%20in%20this,summarizes%20the%20services%20controls%20landscape.
Chen, Q. (2023, March 20). China’s new National Data Bureau: what it is and what it is not. The China Project. http://thechinaproject.com/2023/03/20/chinas-new-national-data-bureau-what-it-is-and-what-it-is-not/
Chen, Z. (2018). Governing through the market : SASAC and the resurgence of central state-owned enterprises in China. https://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/8381/
France24. (2023, October 24). China removes defence minister, ousts former foreign minister from cabinet. France 24. https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20231024-china-removes-defence-minister-ousts-former-foreign-minister-from-cabinet
Gao, C. (2018, March 6). As ‘Two Sessions’ open, CCP is ready to defend presidential term limit change. The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2018/03/as-two-sessions-open-ccp-is-ready-to-defend-presidential-term-limit-change/
Johnson, C. K., Kennedy, S., & Qiu, M. (2024, October 12). Xi’s signature governance innovation: the rise of leading small groups. Center for Strategic & International Studies. https://www.csis.org/analysis/xis-signature-governance-innovation-rise-leading-small-groups
Lampton, D. (2001). The Making of Chinese Foreign and Security Policy in the Era of Reform. Redwood City: Stanford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780804764490
Lawrence, S. (2023). China Primer: China’s Political System. In Congressional Research Service (No. IF12505). The United States Government.
Lobell, S. E., Ripsman, N. M., & Taliaferro, J. W. (2009). Neoclassical realism, the state, and foreign policy. In Cambridge University Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511811869
Long, D. F., & Allison, G. T. (1972). Essence of decision: Explaining the Cuban missile crisis. Journal of American History, 59(1), 222. https://doi.org/10.2307/1888485
Miao, W., Zhu, H., & Chen, Z. (2018). Who's in charge of regulating the Internet in China: The history and evolution of China's Internet regulatory agencies. China Media Research, 14(3), 1+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A549658139/AONE?u=anon~61714386&sid=googleScholar&xid=b512f329
Miller, A. (2016). The ccp Central Committee’s Leading Small Groups. In BRILL eBooks (pp. 279–303). https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004302488_011
NDRC. (n.d.). Main Functions. https://en.ndrc.gov.cn/aboutndrc/mainfunctions/
Phillips, T. (2017, November 29). China’s former security chief given life sentence for corruption. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/11/chinas-former-security-chief-given-life-sentence-for-corruption
Putnam, R. D. (1988). Diplomacy and domestic politics: the logic of two-level games. International Organization, 42(3), 427–460. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0020818300027697
Shambaugh, D. (2016). China’s future. John Wiley & Sons.
Simonov, M. (2025). The Belt and Road Initiative and Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment: Comparison and current status. Asia and the Global Economy, 5(1), 100106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aglobe.2025.100106
The Guardian. (2023, October 24). China removes two key figures from office in major leadership reshuffle. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/24/china-removes-two-key-figures-from-office-in-major-leadership-reshuffle-li-shangfu-qin-gang
US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. (2022). 2022 Annual Report to Congress: : Chapter 1 - CCP Decision-Making and Xi Jinping’s Centralization of Authority. In https://www.uscc.gov/. https://www.uscc.gov/annual-report/2022-annual-report-congress
Yang, Z. (2014, November 21). China’s Anti-Corruption campaign: Cleaning up the PLA’s house. The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2014/11/chinas-anti-corruption-campaign-cleaning-up-the-plas-house/
Yuen, S. (2014). Disciplining the party. China Perspectives, 2014(3), 41–47. https://doi.org/10.4000/chinaperspectives.6542