ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the constitutive parts of China's national role conceptions, including nations that influence China's role taking behavior as significant others', must be considered in order to come to a more nuanced understanding of Chinese foreign policy. The key puzzle of this chapter will address whether the China's socialist identity is being reconfigured and how this relates to potential role change. The first outlines a theoretical framework and the key assumptions of role theory, and combines these with Chinese political scientists' work on their country's national role. The second part examines China's "socialist" role by analyzing role expectations and role interpretations of China vis-+a-vis other socialist states as found in Chinese academic publications. The third part discusses what purpose is served by referring to a redefined socialism in the conduct of Chinese policy. Cuba and North Korea are depicted as varieties of socialism with their own characteristics that will only survive if they adopt Chinese style reforms.
