Towards a non-Zero-Sum Analytical Framework

Abstract

Abstract What degree of power does the provincial government command within the Chinese political system, and what is the nature of this power? This is the fundamental question which runs through the literature on central—provincial relations in contemporary China. In trying to understand this power relationship, analysts have often dwelt on the roles of provincial leaders and the nature of the political system within which they operate. This chapter reviews how the existing literature has addressed and answered the following questions in the context of contemporary China. To what extent do provincial leaders act as the loyal agents of the centre, and, conversely, as representatives of their province? How can we make sense of the prevalence of bargaining behaviour between the centre and the provinces, and the intensity of conflicts in their interactions? Do the instances of China’s previous disintegration and the emergence of separatist movements in some provinces signal a trend towards independence for the provinces? Or do they represent the reaction of provincial forces to a weak centre? How should these tensions between the centre and the provinces be interpreted? Moreover, by what approach may changes in the balance of power between the centre and the provinces be better understood?