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From Opponent to Proponent: The Rational Evolution of China's Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy
Author(s) -
Zhang Hongyu
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
asian politics and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.193
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1943-0787
pISSN - 1943-0779
DOI - 10.1111/aspp.12178
Subject(s) - china , adversary , nuclear weapon , political science , positive economics , economics , law , computer science , computer security
China's performance regarding nuclear nonproliferation has experienced a tremendous change. From 1963 to the present, China dramatically moved from opponent of to proponent for nuclear nonproliferation. This literature only pays attention to this phenomenal change, without delineating the incremental stages in different phases that comprise the overall change. This article breaks down the overall change into four incremental shifts and specifically explains each of them. Close examination shows that these shifts were driven by different motives. The analysis leads to the conclusion that China's preferences in its nuclear nonproliferation decision making are driven by rational concerns.