Multilateralism and Chinese foreign policies toward the United Nations.

Since 2004, China has declared frequently that it supports multilateralism and emphasized that the UN is the best venue to practice multilateralism. It seems that multilateralism has become a dominant disposition of Chinese foreign policy. However, can it be truly considered as a paradigm shift of Chinese foreign policy or is it just one of China?s tactics to counter U.S. unilateralism?The main structure of this article will contain four sections:First, what does multilateralism mean? This article will sort out the definitions of multilateralism in IR theory and its evolutions in world politics.Second, is multilateralism related to traditional Chinese foreign policy thinking, and what are China?s views of multilateralism? This article will analyze Chinese strategic thinking of multilateralism, both in academic discussions and official statements and behaviors.Third, are there any differences between ?words? and ?actions? in Chinese policies toward the UN? In the article, the author will choose three parts in China?s UN policies as case studies: its policy toward UN reform, Darfur crisis and its voting behaviors in the first committee in General Assembly. Fourth, can such development be said as long-term changes in behavioral norms or is it just a tactical learning (as Alastair Iain Johnston terms it, ?adaptation versus learning?)? After reviewing these three cases, the author will try to answer the question mentioned above: paradigm shift or tactics considerations. This will also be the conclusion of the article. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]