The Congressional Factors Of American China Policy During The Bill Clinton Administration

This qualitative research focuses on Congressional factors of American Chinapolicy under Bill Clinton Administration (1993.1-2001.1), to strive to find keyreasons and provide some useful information for the future development of Sino-USrelations, in particular for the healthy development of China’s diplomacy.The National Interests Theory of Realism is used in this thesis which is based onthe important events of American Congress’s China policy, inspecting the role andfunction of Congress in the U.S. foreign policy towards China policy during theClinton Administration, probing into the theoretical basis and practical reasons underits political move, pointing out its main features, constraints and political significance,helping China to take proper measures to resolve these problems.The analysis of problems mentioned above, the thesis has been found that U.S.Congress in Sino-U.S. relations always plays a negative role especially in somesensitive aspects such as the issue of granting China’s Most-Favored-Nation (MFN)status, Taiwan issue involving China’s sovereignty, as well as so-called “democracy,freedom and equality” issue and Tibetan issue, Meanwhile American Congress hasbeen intervening or even directing American China Policy by formal or informalmeans of legal, economic, investigation and public opinions.The thesis also has been found that what American Congress has done towardsChina mentioned above not only related with the political struggle between theTwo-party System in the U.S., ideological contend and “Cold-war thinking”, theinfluence of various interest groups as well as the changing of the internationalenvironment, but also with the lack of detailed comprehension of U.S. Congress forthe long time.In regard to above-mentioned issues, some suggestions are given to China todevelop diplomatic relations with U.S., including from enhancing the research on theU.S. Congress, developing multi-dimensional public diplomacy, paying moreattention to improving international image in press and mass media. It must have apractical significance to the future Sino-U.S. relations.