TTLV: China's strategic adjustment towards the Greater Mekong Subregion from 2006 to present and Vietnam's response

MASTER'S THESIS INFORMATION

1. Student's full name:Nguyen Thi Phuong Anh      

2. Gender: Female

3. Date of birth: November 5, 1992

4. Place of birth: Hanoi

5. Decision on recognition of students No. 2811/2016/QD-XHNV dated August 18, 2016 signed by the President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

6. Changes in training process: No

7. Thesis topic name:China's strategic adjustment towards the Greater Mekong Subregion from 2006 to present and Vietnam's countermeasures.

8. Major: International Relations Code: 60.31.02.06

9. Scientific instructor:Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Que- Institute of International Relations - Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics

10. Summary of the results of the thesis: After the process of researching and implementing the topic, the thesis has achieved certain results:

- Overview of theories on regional and sub-regional linkages.

- Analyze the factors affecting China's strategic adjustment towards the Greater Mekong Subregion from 2006 to present (international and regional context; internal needs of countries in the Subregion...).

- Clarifying the milestones showing China's strategic adjustment process towards the Greater Mekong Subregion from 2006 to present. At the same time, pointing out the purpose and content of that adjustment.

- Assessment of achievements and limitations for China and countries in the Sub-region.

- Analyze the impacts of this adjustment on Vietnam.

- Forecasting the trend of China's strategic adjustment towards the Greater Mekong Subregion to 2025

- Propose solutions and recommendations for Vietnam in response to the impact of China's strategic adjustments.

11. Practical application

- Contribute to providing scientific and practical arguments for the foreign policy planning of the Party and State of Vietnam in the face of the impacts of China's strategic adjustments to the Greater Mekong Subregion.

- The topic is a reference document for officials working in the fields of foreign affairs, defense and security; a source of practical materials serving the teaching and research of international politics, world geopolitics, regional studies, international relations and foreign policy in the system of Institutes and faculties of international relations in Vietnam.

12. Further research directions

- With this research direction, in the future, the thesis can continue to follow China's policy changes towards the countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion in particular and towards the countries in Southeast Asia in general, because this is one of the areas where the Beijing government always wants to increase its influence.

- Based on the geopolitical importance of the Southeast Asian region, compare the policies and influence of major countries on the countries in the Greater Mekong sub-region.

13. Published works related to the thesis

- Li Mingjiang (2010), China's International Relations in Asia, Vol1

- Mishuhiro Kagami (2010), Japan and Korea with the Mekong River basin Countries, BRC Research Report Bangkok Research Center.

- Asian Development Bank - ADB (2012), Greater Mekong Subregion: Twenty years of partnership, Mandaluyong City, Phlippines.

- Dr. Le Van My (2006), China in the Greater Mekong Subregion Cooperation: Impact and Influence.

INFORMATION ON MASTER'S THESIS

1. Full name: Nguyen Thi Phuong Anh 2. Sex: Female

3. Date of birth: November 5, 1992 4. Place of birth: Hanoi

5. Admission decision number: 2811/2016/QD-XHNV dated August 18, 2016 of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Hanoi.

6. Changes in academic process: None

7. Official thesis title: China's strategy shifting towards Greater Mekong Sub-region from 2006 to present

8. Major: International Relations Code: 60.31.02.06

9. Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. PhD Nguyen Thi Que – International Relations Institute - Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics

10. Summary of the findings of the thesis: There has been some highlighted findings in the thesis as follows:

- Overview of theories of regional and sub-regional cooperation.

- An analysis of factors which have been affecting China's shifts in its strategy towards Greater Mekong Sub-region since 2006. (global and regional context and the demands within Greater Mekong Sub-region countries).

- Clarification of time periods (starting in 2006) since which China has been shifting its strategies towards Greater Mekong Sub-region.

- Evaluation of the results and the drawbacks faced by China and Greater Mekong Sub-region countries.

- An analysis of the effects that the China's shifts in its strategy towards Vietnam.

- Predictions about China's shifts in its strategy towards Greater Mekong Sub-region until 2025.

- Proposing solutions to the effects that the adaptations in China's strategies have on Vietnam.

11. Practical applicability, if any:

- The thesis helps provide scientific and practical evidence for forming foreign policy of the Communist Party and the State of Vietnam in the face of the effects resulting from China's strategic shifts towards the Greater Mekong Sub-region.

- The thesis can be used as a source of reference materials for Vietnamese officials working in areas of foreign affairs, security and defense, international politics, geo-politics, regionalistics, international relations and foreign policy.

12. Further research directions, if any:

- Based on what it already had, the thesis could be more developed in many other directions. One particular example of this could be a study of China's policy shifting towards Greater Mekong Sub-region or Southeastern countries.

- Due to the geo-political importance of Southeast Asia, the thesis could be further developed by drawing an analogy between policies of powerful countries and the influences these countries have on Greater Mekong Sub-region countries.

13. Thesis-related publications:

- ADB, Greater Mekong Subregion: Twenty years of partnership, Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Asian Development Bank, 2012.

- Li Mingjiang (2010), China's International Relations in Asia, Vol1.

- Le Van My (2016), China's towards Greater Mekong Sub-region: Impact and Influence

- Mishuhiro Kagami (2010). Japan and Korea with the Mekong River basin Countries, BRC Research Report Bangkok Research Center