The impact of China's "ecological civilisation" principle on China's management of transboundary rivers in the region.

My PhD thesis would address the question: How has the Chinese leadership's commitment to the principle of "ecological civilisation" influenced China's approach to transboundary river management? I propose to study the years 2012-2022 using a comparative analysis of three transboundary rivers that flow through China, as outlined in the Methods section below. My aim would be to develop a rigorous definition of "ecological civilisation"; discover whether "ecological civilisation" is reflected in the Chinese management of and discourse around transboundary rivers, as well as the dynamics of interaction between different levels of governance, including regional governance; and evaluate whether patterns can be observed across different river basins when different river states are involved.



The originality of the thesis would lie in bringing together China's "ecological civilisation" and its management of and discourses around transboundary rivers. "Ecological civilisation" (shengtai wenming) is a Chinese concept which can be traced back to a term referred to in Scientific Communism in the former Soviet Union in 1984.1 It gradually entered the political sphere in the mid-2000s and was enshrined as a Chinese constitutional commitment in 2018. It is China's plan for sustainable development2 and includes an aspiration to lead the advancement of ecological civilisation at the international level.3 The concept remains poorly understood and understudied outside of China. A rigorous definition that could be applied across different cases has yet to be developed, and the role of the principle in Chinese foreign policies is not clear. My PhD thesis would contribute to debates about what the Chinese government means by "ecological civilisation", how it shapes Chinese foreign policies and discourses, and how it can create incentives for different stakeholders within and outside China.



Beyond its specific...