The Functioning of Normative Power in the Logic of the EU and China

Year 2025, Volume: 14 Issue: 2

Emrah Yıldırımçakar

https://doi.org/10.20991/allazimuth.1596710

Abstract

Normative power has become a critical topic of discussion in International Relations and Political Science scholarship, particularly in the context of the normative power of the European Union (EU) and China. However, academic attention has been excessively directed toward investigating the normative power of the European Union rather than that of China. Given the EU’s unique status as a supranational and multinational entity consisting of multiple member states, its process of diffusion of normative power differs significantly from that of China. In this context, this study aims to explore and compare the normative power dynamics maintained by the EU and China in the international arena, examine the approaches, strategies, and outcomes of both the EU and China by providing a detailed understanding of how each party implements normative power, and explore the inequalities in normative power acquisition strategies between these two actors.

Keywords

Normative Power, The European Union, China.

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