Public Opinion Backlash Against China’s International Expansion

In recent years, China has attempted to expand its international power by initiating projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This paper scrutinizes the potential obstacles to China’s expansion from a public opinion perspective. It argues that domestic public opinion may pose two challenges. First, xenophobic sentiments stimulate opposition to the inflow of foreigners and encourage social conflict. Second, the biased distribution of public resources between foreigners and Chinese citizens enhances the sense of inequality and relative deprivation. Nationalist sentiment plays an important role in shaping these two challenges. The authors show that the challenges can impede the implementation of expansive foreign policies. Our arguments are supported by evidence from both qualitative and quantitative sources.