China and India in Global Governance

Full course description

This course examines the emerging roles of non-Western actors in institutions of global governance. While traditional scholars of international relations focused on relations between sovereign states, this course addresses the questions of governance in a globalizing world through an examination of the interactions between international organizations (IOs) and sovereign states in shaping the contemporary global order. Given that major IOs have been led by Western powers, exploring the emerging roles of China and India in the Western-centric governance architecture is of particular interest to us. These two Asian giants have experienced unprecedented economic growth in the past decades as they have integrated more with the market economy since the 1980s. Their emerging roles as global players were acknowledged in the US National Intelligence Council’s report in 2005, stating, “In the same way that commentators refer to the 1900s as the “American Century,” the 21st century may be seen as a time when Asia, led by China and India, comes into its own.” 

We will start off by introducing the theoretical and historical perspectives on global governance. Week 2 will illustrate the rise and decline of American-led liberal international order. Acknowledging the rise of emerging powers in the current world order, Week 3 will discuss the changes of Chinese and Indian foreign policy strategies in international institutions and the rationales for their engagement. Focusing on the selected section of regimes, including climate change, infectious diseases, trade, and also foreign aid, Week 4 and 5 will examine the ways in which China and India engage to the existing global governance architecture, the tools they use and the efforts they make to influence or redesign current Western-led international institutions. Week 6 will take a closer look at the involvement of China and India in regional institutions, such as Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). While the Chinese and Indian leadership has contributed to regional governance, key security challenges presented by the rising powers to their neighboring countries in Asia, such as territorial disputes and river basin management, will also be highlighted. Week 7 will wrap up the course by considering the future of global governance: Can China and India collaborate on emerging global governance challenges? Are they strategic partners or strategic rivals?