Abstract
Among the economic reforms adopted by Beijing since the 1970s, the Chinese government has delegated some of its responsibilities to the provinces, particularly, those related to low-politics issues. Despite this experiment in power-sharing, the central government maintains dominance, with provinces appearing to act as agents or partners of the national government. This chapter examines the level and impact of this decentralization using Hainan’s role in the South China Sea as a case study. Hainan has in recent years exercised policies aimed at better administering contested territories in the maritime area, so the case study provides evidence of the degree of decision-making autonomy that Beijing gives to provincial authorities. The study finds that the imperative of high politics and Beijing’s heavy hand cast a shadow on the issues of low politics managed by Hainan authorities. Through dual-leadership administration, financial subsidies, and other means, the central government continues to enjoy dominance in decision-making in the province.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
This presents one of the theoretical approaches in the IR literature; besides realism , there are liberalist and constructivist visions of the international system that may differ from the one presented in this chapter.
- 2.
According to the 1982 Constitution and the 1988 Decision of the National People’s Congress on the Establishment of Hainan Province, Haikou became an administrative center of the last established Chinese province (Hainan) and obtained control over Hainan Island and the islets, reefs, and sea areas of Paracel (Xisha), Spratly (Nansha) Islands, and the Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha) (Decision of the National People’s Congress on the Establishment of Hainan Province of 1988, § 2).
- 3.
- 4.
Also through the analysis of linguistic differences, US scholars have come to the conclusion that Hainan actively endeavors to enforce China’s maritime claims in the SCS. See Murray and Hsu (2014).
- 5.
Bibliography
2015年海南省国民经济和社会发展统计公报—2015. Hainan: Hainan Provincial Bureau of Statistics, 2015. http://www.stats.hainan.gov.cn/tjsj/tjgb/fzgb/n_991236/201601/t20160127_1759264.html. Accessed January 27, 2017.
Bo, Zhiyue. Chinese Provincial Leaders: Economic Performance and Political Mobility Since 1949. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 2002.
Brodsgaard, Kjeld Erik, and Chen Gang. “China’s Civil Reform: Update.” EAI Background Brief, no. 493 (December/January 2009). http://www.eai.nus.edu.sg/publications/files/BB493.pdf. Accessed January 27, 2017.
Brødsgaard, Kjeld Erik. Hainan: State, Society, and Business in a Chinese Province. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2009.
Chen, Zhimin, Junbo Jian, and Diyu Chen. “The Provinces and China’s MultiLayered Diplomacy: The Cases of GMS and Africa.” The Hague Journal of Diplomacy 5, no. 4 (2010), 331–56. doi:10.1163/187119110x529203.
“China and Vietnam: Clashing Over an Island Archipelago.” Time. January 14, 2010. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1953039,00.html. Accessed January 27, 2017.
China Daily. “Guangxi Plays Vital Role as Bridge Between the Belt and Road.” May 25, 2016. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2016-05/25/content_25462050.htm. Accessed January 27, 2017.
“China Political System—VI. The Local Administrative System.” China.org.cn. http://www.china.org.cn/english/Political/28842.htm. Accessed January 27, 2017.
“China to Invest $1.6 Billion on Disputed Islands, Herald Reports.” Asitimes, December 2012. https://asitimes.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/china-to-invest-1-6-billion-on-disputed-islands-herald-reports/. Accessed February 8, 2017.
“China’s Sinopec Building Filling Station in Disputed South China Sea| Reuters.” Reuters UK. Last modified December 14, 2015. http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-southchinasea-china-sinopec-idUKKBN0TX0D220151214. Accessed February 8, 2017.
Constitution of the People’s Republic of China Adopted at the First Session of the Seventh National People’s Congress on April 12, 1988. Beijing: People’s Republic of China, 1988. http://english1.english.gov.cn/2005-08/05/content_20813.htm. Accessed January 27, 2017.
Decision of the National People’s Congress on the Establishment of Hainan Province. Beijing: Ministry of Commerce People’s Republic of China, 1988. http://english.mofcom.gov.cn/article/lawsdata/chineselaw/200211/20021100050267.shtml. Accessed January 27, 2017.
Deutsche Bank Research. China Chartbook—Province of Hainan. Hainan: Deutsche Bank, https://www.dbresearch.com/PROD/DBR_INTERNET_EN-PROD/PROD0000000000247523/Hainan.PDF. Accessed February 8, 2017.
Erickson, Andrew S., and Connor M. Kennedy. “Tanmen Militia: China’s ‘Maritime Rights Protection’ Vanguard.” The National Interest, May 6, 2015. http://nationalinterest.org/feature/tanmen-militia-china%E2%80%99s-maritime-rights-protection-vanguard-12816. Accessed February 8, 2017.
Fravel, Taylor. “Hainan’s New Fishing Rules: A Preliminary Analysis.” The Diplomat, January 10, 2014. http://thediplomat.com/2014/01/hainans-new-fishing-rules-a-preliminary-analysis/. Accessed January 27, 2017.
Fravel, Taylor. “Hainan’s New Maritime Regulations: An Update.” The Diplomat, January 13, 2013. http://thediplomat.com/2013/01/hainans-new-maritime-regulations-an-update/?allpages=yes. Accessed January 27, 2017.
Gang, An. “Sansha City and the South China Sea Issue—China.org.cn.” China.org.cn. Last modified July 24, 2013. http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/2013-07/24/content_29517618.htm. Accessed February 8, 2017.
Goodman, David S.G, and Gerald Segal, editors. China Deconstructs: Politics, Trade and Regionalism. London: Routledge, 1994.
Goodman, David S.G., editor. China’s Provinces in Reform: Class, Community, and Political Culture. New York: Routledge, 1997.
Hainan Daily. “Hainan Implementation of the ‘People’s Republic of China Fisheries Law’ Approach.” hinews.cn. Last modified December 7, 2013. http://www.hinews.cn/news/system/2013/12/07/016278991.shtml. Accessed February 8, 2017.
Hainan Provincial People’s Government Network. “Hainan Coastal Border Security Regulations.” hinews.cn. Last modified December 31, 2012. http://www.hinews.cn/news/system/2012/12/31/015302759.shtml. Accessed February 8, 2017.
Jackson, Robert H., and Georg Sørensen. Introduction to International Relations: Theories and Approaches, 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Kardon, Isaac. “Hainan Revises Fishing Regulations in South China Sea: New Language, Old Ambiguities.” China Brief 14, no. 2 (January 2014). http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/94400052/hainan-revises-fishing-regulations-south-china-sea-new-language-old-ambiguities. Accessed January 27, 2017.
Kennedy, Connor M., and Andrew S. Erickson. “Model Maritime Militia: Tanmen’s Leading Role in the April 2012 Scarborough Shoal Incident.” Center for International Maritime Security. Last modified April 21, 2016. http://cimsec.org/model-maritime-militia-tanmens-leading-role-april-2012-scarborough-shoal-incident/24573. Accessed January 27, 2017.
Keohane, Robert O., and Joseph S. Nye. Power and Interdependence, 2nd ed. Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman, 1989.
Kwok, Kristine. “Expulsions Likely as Hainan Requires Permission to Fish in South China Sea.” South China Morning Post. Last modified January 10, 2014. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1401803/expulsions-likely-hainan-requirespermission-fish-south-china-sea. Accessed August 21, 2017.
Landry, Pierre F. “Authoritarianism and Decentralization.” In Decentralized Authoritarianism in China: The Communist Party’s Control of Local Elites in the Post-Mao Era, edited by Pierre F Landry, 1–32. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
Li, Hongbin, and Li-An Zhou. “Political Turnover and Economic Performance: The Incentive Role of Personnel Control in China.” Journal of Public Economics 89, no. 9–10 (2005), 1743–62. doi:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2004.06.009.
Li, Mingjiang. “Functional Cooperation and Pan-Beibu Gulf: Potential for Peace in the South China Sea.” Paper presented at The South China Sea: Cooperation for Regional Security and Development, Hanoi, November 26, 2009.
Luo, Chris. “Chinese Officials Fill Up First Sansha Cruise in Disputed seas.” South China Morning Post. Last modified April 29, 2013. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1225975/chinese-officials-fill-first-sansha-cruise-disputed-seas. Accessed August 21, 2017.
Martinson, Ryan D. “Power to the Provinces: The Devolution of China’s Maritime Rights Protection.” China Brief 14, no. 17 (October 2014).
Miller, Michael. “The Reaction of Small States to the Advancement of the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea.” Master’s thesis, Western Michigan University, 2013. ScholarWorks (2273).
Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China. 海南省2015年预算执行情况和2016年预算草案的报告. Beijing, 2016. http://www.mof.gov.cn/zhuantihuigu/2016hb/201602/t20160224_1765278.html. Accessed January 27, 2017.
Murray, Craig, and Kimberly Hsu. China’s New Fishing Regulations Seek to Justify and Consolidate Control in the South China Sea. Washington, D.C.: U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, 2014. http://origin.www.uscc.gov/sites/default/files/Research/USCC%20Staff%20Report_China%27s%20New%20Fishing%20Regulations%20Seek%20to%20Justify%20and%20Consolidate%20Control%20in%20the%20South%20China%20Sea_01%2027%2014.pdf. Accessed January 27, 2017.
National Bureau of Statistics of China. China Statistical Yearbook. Beijing: China Statistics Press, 2015. http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2015/indexeh.htm. Accessed January 27, 2017.
National Bureau of Statistics of China. “National Data.” 国家数据. http://data.stats.gov.cn/english/index.htm. Accessed January 27, 2017.
Peng, Peng, and Jack Chang. “Chinese Patriotism Fuels Cruises to Disputed Isles.” Philstar Global. Last modified September 30, 2014. http://www.philstar.com/news-feature/2014/09/30/1374920/chinese-patriotism-fuels-cruises-disputedisles. Accessed August 21, 2017.
Perlez, Jane, and Yufan Huang. “China Promoting Tourism for Disputed Paracel Islands.” New York Times, May 28, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/world/asia/south-china-sea-tourism.html. Accessed August 21, 2017.
Qi, Ren. “Guangxi Plays Vital Role as Bridge Between the Belt and Road.” China Daily. May 25, 2016. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2016-05/25/content_25462050.htm. Accessed August 21, 2017.
Ripsman, Norrin M. “The Political Economy of Security: A Research and Teaching Agenda.” Journal of Military and Strategic Studies 3, no. 1 (2000), 1–14. http://jmss.org/jmss/index.php/jmss/article/view/264. Accessed February 8, 2017.
Rowen, Ian. “Tourism as a Territorial Strategy in the South China Sea.” In Beneath the Surface: Enterprises, Localities, People, and Policy in the South China Sea, edited by Jonathan Spangler, Dean Karalekas, and Moises Lopes de Souza. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017.
Ruwitch, John. “Satellites and Seafood: China Keeps Fishing Fleet Connected in Disputed Waters.” Reuters. July 28, 2014. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/28/us-southchinasea-china-fishing-insight-idUSKBN0FW0QP20140728. Accessed August 21, 2017.
“Satellites and Seafood: China Keeps Fishing Fleet Connected in Disputed Waters.” Reuters. Last modified July 27, 2014. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-china-fishing-insight-idUSKBN0FW0QP20140728. Accessed February 8, 2017.
Shen, Chunli, Jing Jin, and Heng-fu Zou. “Fiscal Decentralization in China: History, Impact, Challenges and Next Steps.” Annals of Economics and Finance 13, no. 1 (May/June 2012), 1–51. http://aeconf.com/articles/may2012/aef130101.pdf. Accessed January 27, 2017.
South China Morning Post. “China Enlists Fishermen’s Help to Protect Maritime Rights in Disputed South China Sea.” March 8, 2016a. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1922278/china-enlists-fishermens-help-protect-maritime-rights. Accessed January 27, 2017.
South China Morning Post. “Chinese Officials Fill Up First Sansha Cruise in Disputed Seas.” April 29, 2013. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1225975/chinese-officials-fill-first-sansha-cruise-disputed-seas. Accessed January 27, 2017.
South China Morning Post. “Expulsions Likely as Hainan Requires Permission to Fish in South China Sea.” January 10, 2014. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1401803/expulsions-likely-hainan-requires-permission-fish-south-china-sea. Accessed January 27, 2017.
South China Morning Post. “Sun, Surf and Patriotism ... Life as a Tourist Cruising the South China Sea.” May 24, 2016b. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1948479/sun-surf-and-patriotism-life-tourist-cruising-south. Accessed January 27, 2017.
Symonds, Peter. “US Inflames Row with China over Fisheries Regulations—World Socialist Web Site.” World Socialist Web Site—Marxist Analysis, International Working Class Struggles & the Fight for Socialism. Last modified January 13, 2014. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/01/13/scse-j13.html. Accessed February 8, 2017.
Tharoor, Ishaan. “China and Vietnam: Clashing Over an Island Archipelago.” Time. January 14, 2010. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1953039,00.html. Accessed August 21, 2017.
Thayer, Carl. “China’s New Fishing Regulations: An Act of State Piracy?” The Diplomat, January 2014. http://thediplomat.com/2014/01/chinas-new-fishing-regulations-an-act-of-state-piracy/. Accessed February 8, 2017.
The New York Times. “China Promoting Tourism for Disputed Paracel Islands.” May 28, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/world/asia/south-china-sea-tourism.html. Accessed January 27, 2017.
The Philippine Star. “Chinese Patriotism Fuels Cruises to Disputed Isles.” September 30, 2014. http://www.philstar.com/other-sections/news-feature/2014/09/30/1374920/chinese-patriotism-fuels-cruises-disputedisles. Accessed January 27, 2017.
Xinhua Silk Road Information Service. “Pan-Beibu Gulf (PBG) Economic Cooperation Forum.” 新华丝路网_“一带一路”国家级信息服务平台|“一带一路”权威网站| 我们致力于为企业提供投资决策支持!. Last modified May/June 20, 2016. http://silkroad.news.cn/2016/0520/1107.shtml. Accessed February 8, 2017.
Zha, Daojiong. “Localizing the South China Sea Problem: The Case of China’s Hainan.” The Pacific Review 14, no. 4 (2001), 575–98. doi:10.1080/09512740110087348.
Zhen, Liu. “Sun, Surf and Patriotism … Life as a Tourist Cruising the South China Sea.” South China Morning Post. Last modified May 24, 2016. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/1948479/sun-surf-and-patriotism-lifetourist-cruising-south. Accessed August 21, 2017.
Zhen, Liu, and Minnie Chan. “China Enlists Fishermen’s Help to Protect Maritime Rights in Disputed South China Sea.” South China Morning Post. Last modified March 8, 2016. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacydefence/article/1922278/china-enlists-fishermens-help-protect-maritime-rights. Accessed August 21, 2017.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Daksueva, O., Lin, J.Jy. (2018). The Role of Provinces in Decision-Making Processes in China: The Case of Hainan Province. In: Spangler, J., Karalekas, D., Lopes de Souza, M. (eds) Enterprises, Localities, People, and Policy in the South China Sea . Critical Studies of the Asia-Pacific. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62828-8_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62828-8_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62827-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62828-8
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)