The People's Republic of China Leadership Transition and its External Relations: Still Searching for Definitive Answers

This article constitutes the introduction to this special issue. It critically reviews the literature on leaders and foreign policy and considers the possibility that leaders might matter more in the case of Chinese foreign policy. In addition, it examines some of the, often erroneous, judgments that have been made about the power of Chinese policymakers, focusing on uncertainties relating to the power of Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose actual power continues to be a subject of considerable debate. Furthermore, it recommends some metrics that might be used to more systematically evaluate the power of Chinese elites. Beyond this, it summarizes the articles in the special issue and what they say about the issue of China's leadership transition and Chinese foreign policy. It concludes with some theoretical and policy conclusions and identifies some avenues for further research.