Three Structures of Vietnam-China Relations: a View from the Structural Constructivist Theory
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Three Structures of Vietnam-China Relations: a View from the Structural Constructivist Theory Anh Ngoc Nguyen 1 Received: 16 July 2020 / Accepted: 26 October 2020/ # Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract In this essay, an attempt is made to use Alexander Wendt’s structural hypothesis to test the structures of Vietnam–China relations from the beginning up to the present. The results show that Vietnam–China relations have undergone three cultures: Hobbesian culture, Lockean culture, and Kantian culture. In 113 B.C, without any restraint, the expansionist identity of China formed Vietnam–China Hobbesian culture and then nourished it up to the late twelfth century. Then, the external restraints changed Vietnam–China Hobbesian culture into the Lockean culture in 1164. There was an alternation of Hobbesian and Lockean culture in the period of 1164–1885. The transitions of these two cultures were created by external restraint and self-restraint. In the period of 1885–1949, the foundations for the Kantian culture was laid. From 1950 to July 1978, Communist ideology helped the Kantian culture to dominate Vietnam–China relations. Though, from 1968 self-interests created a shift from Kantian culture to Lockean culture. Without self-restraint, the identities of Vietnam and China changed the Kantian culture into the Lockean culture in late 1978, and this culture has been dominating Vietnam–China relations up to the present. Keywords Vietnam–China relations . Structural constructivist theory . Hobbesian culture .
Lockean culture . Kantian culture
Introduction The long relationship between Vietnam and China has stretched for more than 2000 years and can be described as a combination of hostilities and friendship, or struggle and cooperation. Up to now, a lot of research works basing on the Realist theory have been conducted with an effort to explain Vietnam–China relations. Some
* Anh Ngoc Nguyen [email protected]
1
VNU University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam
East Asia
good explanations have been offered but I think the issue is still in need of clarification, using other theories to explain the issue because each theory may capture some important aspects of world politics, and “our understanding would be impoverished were our thinking confided to only one theory” [31]. Though Realism remains the most compelling general framework for understanding international relations [37], Constructivism has been able to explain main issues of Asian international relations [1]. Given this reason, I would like to offer one more explanation for Vietnam–China relations. My explanation is based on Social theory of international politics of Alexander Wendt, a structural Constructivist. In the title of this essay, I put “Vietnam” before “China” to mean that I would take Vietnam as the point of departure to view the relations of the two countries. This essay includes three main parts. The first part will propose a testing hypothesis which will be applied to examine Vietnam–China relatio
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