International Relations Researches

International Relations Researches

Analyzing the Paradigm Shift in China's Foreign Policy and its Impact on Relations with India (1978-2024)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mohammad Yahya Panahi
seyed amir niakooee
sajad Bahrami Moghadam
Department of Political Science, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
10.22034/irr.2025.555998.2791
Abstract
With the evolution in the logic of China's foreign policy, we have seen the development of economic-commercial relations and the control and management of border situations with India. Despite challenges, this process has had sufficient stability and continuity to benefit the people's welfare. The main question of this research is: what paradigm shifts has the logic of China's foreign policy undergone between 1978 and 2024, and how has this transformation affected the country's relations with India? In response, the main hypothesis of this article states that the paradigmatic shift dominant in the logic of China's foreign policy since 1978 has been the prioritization of the economic developmentalism paradigm. The Spartan Theory, which emphasizes the importance of leaders' beliefs and structural constraints, is used to analyze this matter. The research method is descriptive-analytical, and data collection is based on library and documentary sources. The perceptual framework of Chinese leaders is the independent variable, while the development of economic-commercial relations and the management and control of border situations with India are the dependent variables.
Keywords
China'
s Foreign Policy
Economic Developmentalism Paradigm
India
Border Control and Management
International Relations Researches

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 22 November 2025