The U.S. politics of export control policy toward the People's Republic of China

The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the American politics of export control policy vis-a-vis the People's Republic of China. Two major premises are central to this analysis. One is that U.S. policy is affected by several major factors including security, foreign policy, and economic interests. The other is that while these interests impact upon U.S. export control policy, American domestic politics represents a key intervening variable which affects how these major factors influence the making and implementation of U.S. policy.;Two theories--statism and pluralism--are used to guide the analysis and direct the inquiry. Their distinctive theoretical differences allow us to examine different aspects of American politics and their influence on export control policy-making.;The time period for the study is from 1969 to 1988 including the four administrations of Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan. A systematic analysis, guided by the statist's and pluralist's perspectives, is conducted for each administration's policy development, policy objectives, nature of politics, and pattern of policy formation. After the analysis, a comparison among the four administrations is undertaken to examine similarities and differences across the four administrations.;The results of the study show that a pattern of state dominance can be identified in U.S. export control policy-making toward China during the period, but with variations through the administrations and a weakening of the state in the Reagan administration. The state under Presidents Nixon and Ford had the most control over the policy process with respect to China. The state under President Carter maintained reasonable control even though the state was not a coherent and unified entity. The state under President Reagan became less powerful in governing export control policy-making toward China. A growing diffusion of power and political resources was seen among political actors.;Despite the state having maintained a relative supremacy over society in export control policy-making vis-a-vis China during the years, the state's influence over the export control policy process has gradually weakened. If this development continues, export control policy formulation toward China is likely to be more pluralistic or that, at least, the state will not totally dominate in the near future.