The Role Of Chinese Merchants In The Construction Of China And Southeast Asian Regional Trading System In The Ming Dynasty

This dissertation mainly explores how the non-state actors such as Chinese merchants construct the regional trade system between the Ming Dynasty and the ancient states of Southeast Asia in the same period,also try to use this case to discuss the mainstream concept of international relations.The basic hypothesis of this dissertation is that non-state actors can play a positive and basic role in the construction of regional trade-social system,especially when the country chooses to reduce the transnational interaction or the behavior of the construction about the regional system because of its strategic concept or the geopolitical environmental changes it faces.The civil forces for market actors can always focus on a regional trade-social system that can meet their profit goals,or even indirectly promote the development of inter-regional official relations.The transnational profit-seeking behavior of merchants,mainly the trade behavior has promoted and woven the transnational trade system,while states in this region play a role as an intervention variable.The formation of this regional trade network can be measured from two basic elements:(1)transnational actors;(2)transnational regional markets.The transnational trade system between China and Southeast Asia has gone through three stages: tributary trade system,smuggling trade system and mutual trading system.During different periods,Chinese merchant have taken different forms of transnational organization to get strong,while interact with the countries in the region and other important merchants,eventually promote the maturity of the transnational regional market,and also promote the change and development of trade system.This dissertation argues that Chinese merchants are very important participants in the building of the trade system in the Ming dynasty: firstly,they constantly adapt themselves to the regional social conditions and build a transnational trade network,which is suitable for their own development and improve the regional trade system through organizational practice.Secondly,they promote the formation of the regional market network of the internal market and the transnational market,and to promote the integration of regional trade-social space on the basis of the port,hinterland and trade diaspora.Thirdly,when they interact with state actors,they select the survival strategy of integration,struggle or compromise,which promotes the regional trading system more in line with the interests.