Research On Philip A. Kuhn’s Idea Of Modern Chinese State’s Construction

The construction of the modern Chinese state is an important topic of political science research and an important element of China’s ongoing modernization.The American Chinese scholar Philip A.Kuhn has examined the construction of the modern Chinese state from the perspective of a "Chinese" historical perspective,seeking the motivation for the construction of the modern Chinese state from traditional historical resources,answering the question of why the construction of the modern Chinese state has Chinese characteristics,and putting forward his distinctive ideas on the construction of the modern Chinese state.Philip A.Kuhn’s ideas on modern state building centered on question of how the modern Chinese state was formed.Reflecting on the "Western-centric" model of research,he uses a unified "internal" and "external" historical perspective to elucidate the impact of Chinese historical and cultural resources and Western influences on the construction of the modern Chinese state.By analysing the influence of China’s indigenous resources,such as the bureaucratic monarchy,legitimacy and history and culture,on the construction of the modern Chinese state,he points out that China’s indigenous resources are the constitutional factors driving the construction of the modern Chinese state.In the process of modern state building in China,he argues that there is an ancient and constantly recurring and deepening "constitutional agenda",namely the relationship between political participation and state capacity,political competition and the public interest,and political control and social needs.He argues that China has been able to balance and harmonise these three sets of relationships in the process of modern state building,and that the "constitutional agenda" has continued in the process of modern state building in China.The underlying structure of the "constitutional agenda" links it to the relevant agendas of subsequent eras,and the thinking on the "constitutional agenda" in different eras provides lessons for China’s modern state-building.Philip A.Kuhn’s ideas on the construction of the modern state have strong academic resonance and are of some value to China in building a strong socialist modern state.However,there are shortcomings in the research content and methodology of Philip A.Kuhn’s modern state-building ideas,and his neglect of the holistic and chronological nature of state-building has led to some controversy over his ideas.