Existing accounts of China's actions in its East and South China Sea disputes tends to be rationalist explanations. This thesis argues that current mainstream explanations are inadequate in understanding China and its conduct in the disputed areas. Essentially, this thesis argues for an alternative interpretation of China's moves in the quarrels that focuses on the 'domestic' and thus the internal cultural, social and political factors as key drivers of China's maneuvers in the disputes. This interpretation is achieved through a dramaturgical analysis - ofthe China/Japan and China/Philippines row - which sees China's behavior in the contested areas as performances conducted to its internal and external audiences. It further argues that domestic concerns of internal stability surpass external considerations and consequently activities undertaken by China in its disputes are, more often than not, incentivized by internal rule legitimation purposes done primarily for its internal audiences.

Master of Science (International Relations)