China and the International Human Rights Regime - struggling for hegemony

Abstract: Although the Chinese government claims respect of human rights, it seems that the official Chinese conception of these rights is not only different from but also challenges the dominant international conception - this Chinese challenge of the international human rights regime constitutes the problem area of this thesis. Using a Laclau and Mouffe inspired discourse analysis strategy to deconstruct and analyse the hegemonic struggle between the official Chinese human rights discourse and the dominant international human rights discourse, I have established that the Chinese challenge lies in the continued effort to redefine the dominant conception of human rights, shifting the focus from freedom rights towards subsistence rights. Furthermore I have established that the Chinese human rights discourse has embraced the universality of human rights, seeking to redefine the language of human rights within the framework of universalism. In addition I have identified two instruments by which the official Chinese human rights discourse seeks to redefine the international human rights discourse, the first instrument being the continued rearticulation of 'human rights with Chinese characteristics'. The second and more tangible instrument being Chinese human rights diplomacy, through which the Chinese government continuously seeks to redefine the international human rights discourse, but also and perhaps more so, seeks to incapacitate the international human rights regime.