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Nele Noesselt
Nele Noesselt is a German political scientist with a special focus on East Asia/China. Noesselt currently teaches at the University of Duisburg-Essen. She teaches and conducts research on comparative political science, international relations and global governance.

Background and Career
Noesselt conducted her studies and doctoral studies in Political Science and Chinese Studies in Heidelberg, Beijing and Vienna. In 2009 she obtained her PhD in Modern Chinese Studies and in 2012 her PhD in Political Science. From 2009 until 2011 Noesselt was an Assistant professor at the University of Goettingen with a focus on Chinese politics. From 2011 until 2015 she held the position as a Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute of Asian Studies as well as the position of Spokesperson of the GIGA Research Team Comparative Regionalism Research and part of the Editorial Team for the Journal of Current Chinese Affairs. In 2015 she completed her habilitation in Political science and since November 2015 she holds a chair of political science with a special focus on China/East Asia at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

“Chinese School” of IR and Chinese Models of World Order
Nele Noesselt has dedicated a great portion of her research on the Chinese discussion about the possibility or even necessity to construct a "theory of International Relations (IR) with Chinese characteristics". According to Noesselt, the concept of a “Chinese School of IR” is not just a hollow phrase but an actual process within China in which frameworks are already under construction. With the increasing influence of a non- “Western” actor such as China, the interest in the study of Chinese International Relations has grown. Therefore, Noesselt argues that it is necessary that China (or other non- “Western” regions) are not viewed as a playground for theory testing, but rather focus on the intellectual debate about IR Philosophy within China. The IR debate within China is focused around the question whether theory and research should revolve around Chinese foreign relations or international relations. Nele Noesselt describes the Chinese contribution to IR as follows: "“The Chinese contribution to the IR debate does not lead to the substitution or reformulation of established IR concepts such as global governance and world society; it instead introduces an independent IR terminology and presents alternative explanations of international development. Traditional Chinese philosophy together with elements of dialectical and historical materialism form the basis of Chinese IR theory.”"Chinese IR finds its sources of inspiration in premodern Chinese philosophy. Noesselt points out that Chinese scholars argue that Chinese IR can be traced back to the Zhou dynasty, a time period in which small kingdoms within China competed for hegemony. "“During this period, also referred to as the Spring and Autumn period (770– 476 B.C.) and the Warring States period (475–221 B.C.), multiple philosophical schools developed their readings on the state, the ruler and ways of governing. The interactions between the formally independent kingdoms, which later became unified under the emperor of the victorious Qin dynasty in 221 B.C., are referred to as a historic example of premodern inter‐ national relations in a regional context far from the West. Instead of learning from the “Western” history of international relations and memorizing the outcomes of the Eurocentric theory debates, scholars in favor of the formation of a “Chinese” school propose studying the constellations inside the tianxia, the Chinese concept of the “world” as “all under heaven,” during the Zhou dynasty.”"The ancient Chinese state philosophy correlates a direct interrelationship between the views and convictions of the emperor, the state and the international system. Noesselt refers to Chinese scholars like Yan Xuetong who argue that pre-Qin “IR theory” differs from “Western” IR in two central ways: First the political leadership sees moral authority as a requirement. The ruling class is advised by enlightened and distinguished officials in order to guarantee stability and harmony. Second the international system is hierarchically organized. These systems exert according to Yan, a stabilizing effect on international politics. As an alternative model of the international system the concepts of a “harmonious world” and Chinas commitment to a “peaceful rise” could be seen as a blueprint for other state actors. Nonetheless Noesselt points out that scholars like Qin Yaqing dismiss the idea of a premodern “international system” due to the lack of “international-ness”. In the growing dissonance with the Westphalian system, Chinese IR scholars have revived the concept of tianxia, as an alternative to the existing global order. Noesselt points out that the Westphalian order is connotated with negative attributes such as an anarchic international system, competing nation states fight for survival in zero-sum games resulting in war due to an absence of an ethical code of conduct. Tianxa is viewed as a hierarchical yet stable version of an international system which could serve as a blueprint for “world governance” in the 21st century. Noesselt gives a summary of the Chinese conception of the “world”: "„Contrary to the state‐centric approaches in “Western” IR, the central unit of Chinese IR is the “world.” The “world” needs a commonly agreed‐upon “world institution” as its control center. As is the case with the ancient tianxia concept, this power center is not democratically elected but is legitimated through its compliance with moral and ethical values. Although this part of Zhaoʹs theory lacks empirical foundations and logical consistency, it nonetheless reveals a prevalent train of thought within China’s epistemic community that has long been ignored in global IR debates.“"Noesselt concludes that “the Chinese debate on the metatheoretical foundations of foreign policy, the area studies discourse on Chinese IR theory, and the post-positivist stream in IR literature remain insulated discourses that differ in terms of their research interests and their methodological and epistemological bases”. Area studies looks at IR theory in China from an outside perspective and has the assumption that the historical experience of the non- “Western” world can be used to widen the empirical foundations of IR theory. Post-positivist discourses are focused on researching the evolvement of specific “Chinese” perspectives on the global order as an integral part of the national identity formation of the Peoples Republic of China.

China’s “New Normal“
According to Noesselt, China tries to enter the era of the “new normal” of economic development. The high-speed growth of China’s economy relied heavily on cheap labor forces and good conditions in the world economy. However, because of the financial crisis in 2008, changing demographics and other challenges that China faces, the Communist Party of China decided to reorient the economy towards strengthening domestic consumption and foster innovation instead of imitation. To achieve the goal of a reformation of the Chinese economy, the current Chinese president Xi Jinping has made efforts to liberalize the economy, but also to recentralize political power. The entrance into the “new normal” of economic development serves “as a correction of defects and not as a paradigmatic change”. The aims of the shift of the Chinese economy are sustainable economic growth rates, eco-innovation and more domestic consumption.

Having said this, to successfully execute the reforms, structural corrections on other levels have to be made. Noesselt identifies four fields of reformation:.


 * The fight against corruption: The fight against corruption has become one of the primary goals of the Chinese government to demonstrate the functioning of the political system and regain legitimacy.
 * The modification of the Chinese economy: There is a “widely shared agreement that the current system should be modified and ‘re-newed’”. The government focuses on solving concrete problems while trying to find a balance between the interests of neo-liberals and the new left.
 * The “new” urbanization: The government tries to solve the issue of air pollution for China’s urban residents by limiting the transfer of rural land to urban land to stop the expansion of China’s megacities. Furthermore, high-speed trains and infrastructure networks are being built to reduce the need for automobiles and improve living conditions.
 * Innovation-driven development: China’s government wants to achieve the world leadership in the fields of science and technology by fostering innovative projects.

“Old” Sources of Modern Chinese Party Power
Noesselt’s research on the rehabilitation of Confucian ideas by the Chinese government focuses on the analyzation of official documents and speeches instead of visible actions. The vindication of the ideas of Confucius by the current president of China Xi Jinping seems to be paradoxical because the Cultural Revolution movement portrayed him “as a personification of everything evil”. However, Xi Jinping views Confucianism and Marxism in a symbiotic relationship. The creation of a Confucianist foundation for China could help to generate a positive image of China as a peaceful and cooperative nation. If this positive image of China becomes reality, it could help to expand its influence in world politics.

Confucianist ideas are used to legitimize the power of the Communist Party of China in a time of a pluralism of ideas and high-speed modernization. The Confucianist idea of “harmony” in a hierarchical system could help to foster the maintenance of the “right” order secured by the Chinese government, even if this requires the use of force. Chinese officials try to portray China’s developmental model as a unique path diverging from those of the “West” that might inspire other states. The growth of powerful interest groups in China and the strengthening of market forces requires a new ideology that ensures the power of the ruling party. The current leadership of China thereby has shifted away from being the revolutionary party fighting for the lower classes to become the ruling party striving for “harmony”.

Monographs

 * Noesselt, Nele (2016), Chinesische Politik: Nationale und globale Dimensionen. Baden-Baden: Nomos (UTB Studienkurs Politikwissenschaft).


 * Nele Noesselt (2012), Governance-Formen in China: Theorie und Praxis des chinesischen Modells. Wiesbaden: Springer VS.


 * Nele Noesselt (2010), Alternative Weltordnungsmodelle? IB-Diskurse in China. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag.


 * Nele Noesselt (2008), Die Beziehungen der EU zu China und Taiwan – Hintergründe und Perzeptionen. Hamburg: Kovacs.

Journals

 * Noesselt, Nele (2016), Wie wird in China regiert?, in:  Internationale Politik, 4, 114-119.


 * Noesselt, Nele (2016), Spuren der Kulturrevolution im heutige China, in: Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte, 23, 22-26.


 * Noesselt, Nele (2016), Abschied vom Trittbrettfahren: In seinem neuen Weißbuch präsentiert sich China verantwortungsbewußt,in: Internationale Politik, 71, 1, 88-93


 * Noesselt, Nele (2015), China: Solo oder Sinfonie? Außenpolitische Ambitionen und Positionierungspläne, in: Die Politische Meinung, 60, 535, 12-16


 * Nele Noesselt (2015), China’s Foreign Strategy After the 18th Party Congress: Business as Usual?, in: Journal of Chinese Political Science, 20, 1, 17-33


 * Nele Noesselt (2015), Relegitimizing the Chinese Party-State: “Old” Sources of Modern Chinese Party Power, in: Asiatische Studien - Études Asiatiques, 69, 1, 213–233


 * Nele Noesselt (2015), Revisiting the Debate on Constructing a Theory of International Relations with Chinese Characteristics, in: The China Quarterly, 222, 430-448


 * Nele Noesselt (2014), Microblogs and the Adaptation of the Chinese Party-State's Governance Strategy, in: Governance: An International Journal of Policy, Administration and Institutions, 27, 3, 449–468


 * Nele Noesselt (2014), Alexis de Tocqueville in China: Spiegeldebatten über Reformbedarf und Revolutionsgefahr, in: Leviathan, 42, 3, 346-362


 * Nele Noesselt (2014), Die Grenzen "nicht-westlicher" Theorien der Internationalen Beziehungen, in: Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen, 21, 1, 79-107


 * Nele Noesselt (2014), Internationale Dimensionen des "chinesischen" Internets, in: Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen, 21, 1, 161-177


 * Nele Noesselt (2014), China’s contradictory role(s) in world politics: decrypting China’s North Korea strategy, in: Third World Quarterly, 35, 7, 1307-1325


 * Nele Noesselt (2013), Ankunft in der Realität: Zwischen Traum und Wirklichkeit einer neuen Weltordnung, in: Internationale Politik, 68, 5, 100-105


 * Nele Noesselt (2013), Pekings Ideengeber, in: Internationale Politik, 2, 102-107

Articles

 * Noesselt, Nele (2016), Mapping the world from a Chinese perspective?, in: Zhang, Yongjin/Chang, Teng-chi (eds.) (2016), Constructing a Chinese School of International Relations: Ongoing debates and sociological realities. London; New York: Routledge, 98-112.


 * Noesselt, Nele (2016), China als unsichtbarer Faktor der transatlantischen Beziehungen: Eine trianguläre Analyse, in: Müller-Graff, Peter-Christian (2016), Europäische Union und USA: Europas nordatlantische Aufgaben. Baden-Baden: Nomos, 155-170.


 * Nele Noesselt / Detlef Nolte (2015), Trotz wirtschaftlicher Flaute: China zeigt Flagge in Lateinamerika, GIGA Focus Lateinamerika, 07/2015, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2015), Russland und die Ukraine-Krise: Härtetest für Chinas Außenpolitik?, GIGA Focus Asien, 04/2015, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2015), Ein "besonderes Puzzle": Die ambivalenten Sonderbeziehungen zwischen der VR China und den sozialistischen Staaten, in: Sebastian Harnisch / Klaus Brummer / Kai Oppermann (eds.), Sonderbeziehungen als Nexus zwischen Außenpolitik und internationalen Beziehungen, Baden-Baden: Nomos, 159-184


 * Nele Noesselt (2014), Multilaterale Alleingänge? Die G20 als globales Forum nationaler Politik, GIGA Focus Global, 10/2014, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2014), China and Socialist Countries: Role Change and Role Continuity, GIGA Working Paper, No. 250, August 2014, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2014), Chinas neue EU-Strategie: Aufbau einer strategischen Achse der Weltpolitik?, GIGA Focus Global, 04/2014, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2014), China’s Multiple Role(s) in World Politics: Decrypting China’s North Korea Strategy, GIGA Working Paper, No. 243, February 2014, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2014), Governance Experiments: Adaptation and Innovation in Chinese State-Society Relations, in: Sujian Guo (ed.), State-Society Relations and Governance in China, Lanham: Lexington, 185-202


 * Nele Noesselt (2014), Staatlich-zivile Interaktionsmuster im Wandel. Governance-Konzepte der neuen chinesischen Führungselite, in: Hubert Heimelt (ed.), Modernes Regieren in China, Baden-Baden: Nomos, 137-157


 * Nele Noesselt (2014), Machtverschiebung in Richtung Asien? China als globaler Investor, in: Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte, 64, 40-41, 35-40


 * Günter Schucher / Nele Noesselt (2013), Weichenstellung für Systemerhalt: Reformbeschluss der Kommunistischen Partei Chinas, GIGA Focus Asien, 10/2013, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2013), Gipfeltreffen in Peking: Nationale und globale Dimensionen der sino-europäischen Beziehungen, GIGA Focus Global, 10/2013, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2013), China and Brazil in Global Norm Building: International Law and the International Criminal Court, in: Papel Politico, 18, 2, 701-718


 * Nele Noesselt (2013), Das Internet in China: Public Sphere oder autokratisches Kontrollinstrument?, in: Marianne Kneuer (ed.), Das Internet: Bereicherung oder Streßfaktor für die Demokratie?, Baden-Baden: Nomos, 248-274


 * Nele Noesselt (2013), Microblogs in China: Bringing the State Back In, GIGA Working Paper, No. 214, February 2013, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt / Saskia Hieber (2013), Größer, stärker, global? Chinas Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik nach dem Führungswechsel, GIGA Focus Asien, 05/2013, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt / Ana Soliz Landivar (2013), China in Latin America: Competition in the United States’ “Strategic Backyard”, GIGA Focus International Edition English, 07/2013, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2013), Angst vor der Freiheit? Rituelle und traditionelle Grundlagen politischer Herrschaft in China, in: Susanne Rode-Breymann / Achim Mittag (eds.), Anvertraute Worte, Hannover: Wehrhahn, 145-158


 * Nele Noesselt (2012), Chinese Perspectives on International Power Shifts and Sino-EU Relations (2008–2011), GIGA Working Paper, No. 193, April 2012, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2012), Is There a “Chinese School” of IR?, GIGA Working Paper, No. 188, March 2012, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2012), Konstruierte Pfadabhängigkeit: Politischer Mythos und symbolische Herrschaftsformen, in: Lena Henningsen / Martin Hofmann (eds.), Tradition? Variation? Plagiat? Motive und ihre Adaption in China, Wiesbaden: Harroassowitz, 87-98


 * Nele Noesselt (2012), Mikroblogs als Instrumente der Systemstabilisierung in der VR China, GIGA Focus Asien, 09/2012, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2012), Das Handeln des Staates in der VR China zwischen Politik und Recht, in: Tamara Ehs / Stefan Gschiegl / Karl Ucakar / Manfred Welan (eds.), Politik und Recht: Spannungsfelder der Gesellschaft, Wien: Facultas, 391-406


 * Nele Noesselt (2012), Security Spirals and Threat Perceptions: China and (Non-)Collective Security, in: Rüdiger Frank / John Swenson-Wright (eds.), Korea and East Asia: The Stony Road to Collective Security, Leiden: Brill, 59-82


 * Nele Noesselt (2012), Triumph der Barbaren, in: Zeit Geschichte, 1, 28-39


 * Nele Noesselt (2012), Zeitenwende in der internationalen Politik?, GIGA Focus Global, 06/2012, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2011), Politische Historiographie: State-Building-Strategien der VR China, GIGA Focus Asien, 11/2011, Hamburg: GIGA


 * Nele Noesselt (2011), Strategiewechsel in der chinesischen Europapolitik: Umweg über Deutschland?, GIGA Focus Asien, 06/2011, Hamburg: GIGA

Blogs

 * Noesselt, Nele (2018), Cuba: The cornerstone for China’s Latin America strategy?


 * Nele Noesselt (2015), Chat and Mouse: The Online Game of Indirect Deliberation, in: China Policy Institute Blog, University of Nottingham

Other Publications

 * Huawei-Studie 2016