ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book offers new perspective to understand what Chinese policy makers might think and what they might do in world politics in the future. It introduces eight policy-relevant key debates among Chinese scholars in the field of international relations (IR), including the nature of international structure, the concept of soft power, China’s non-alliance principle, and China’s maritime policy. The book discusses four major findings through investigating the eight IR debates. It examines the role of academics in policy making through comparing China and the United States. The book argues that the gap between the academe and policy communities exists in both countries. It suggests that Chinese scholars should consider returning to the ivory tower a bit if they intend to offer more insightful policy recommendations and play a more important and independent role in providing insights on Chinese foreign policy.
