{"title":"The limits of China’s engagement in the Mediterranean: Role conflict and emerging mistrust in Spain–China relations","authors":"Mario Esteban, Ugo Armanini","doi":"10.1080/13629395.2022.2035136","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Spain has recently endorsed a more critical stance towards China. This article explains this posture through the application of role theory and the concept of (mis)trust. Role conflict has intensified from the interplay between China’s new roles of great power and economic and technological competitor, Spain’s higher expectations towards China, and Spain’s self-identified role, greatly influenced by its relations with its traditional European and US allies. This has generated mistrust, and Spanish authorities have shown greater concerns about Chinese behaviour. As a result, they have turned to a more conditional co-operation as evidenced by a series of recent foreign policy outcomes on the BRI, foreign investment, and 5 G networks.","PeriodicalId":46666,"journal":{"name":"Mediterranean Politics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2022-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Mediterranean Politics","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2022.2035136","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AREA STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
ABSTRACT Spain has recently endorsed a more critical stance towards China. This article explains this posture through the application of role theory and the concept of (mis)trust. Role conflict has intensified from the interplay between China’s new roles of great power and economic and technological competitor, Spain’s higher expectations towards China, and Spain’s self-identified role, greatly influenced by its relations with its traditional European and US allies. This has generated mistrust, and Spanish authorities have shown greater concerns about Chinese behaviour. As a result, they have turned to a more conditional co-operation as evidenced by a series of recent foreign policy outcomes on the BRI, foreign investment, and 5 G networks.
期刊介绍:
Mediterranean Politics is the only refereed academic journal to focus on the politics, international relations and political economy of the entire Mediterranean area - "Mediterranean" here being understood to refer to all those countries whose borders are defined partially or wholly by the Mediterranean Sea. This focus involves consideration not only of the region itself, but also the significance of developments there for other parts of the world. The journal analyses the central issues that concern Mediterranean countries and assesses both local and international responses to them. While its prime concern is with political developments, the focus of Mediterranean Politics extends to all the factors and dimensions affecting political life.