Role of Military Diplomacy in the PRC’s Foreign Policy in the South China Sea

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of military diplomacy as an instrument of China’s foreign policy aimed at achieving the goal of the “great revival of the Chinese nation.” A special role is given to the process of conceptualization of military diplomacy in the foreign policy discourse of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which allowed the authors to identify the tasks and forms of this means of implementing foreign policy. The close connection of military diplomacy with ensuring the fundamental interests of the People’s Republic of China is noted. A special place is given to the region of Southeast Asia, where the PRC has unresolved disputes over maritime rights and national jurisdiction of offshore facilities and mineral deposits with several states. The authors assess the effectiveness of military diplomacy in bilateral relations with the countries of the region. The theoretical foundation of the work is the neorealist approach, which allows us to evaluate military diplomacy as a set of non-forceful measures aimed at achieving national interests. The authors conclude that the country and regional priorities in China’s military-diplomatic cooperation seem to correspond to the priorities of China’s broader foreign policy. The PRC’s intensive use of military diplomacy in the South China Sea demonstrates China’s growing leadership potential on the world stage and world-building ideas in neighboring regions.