10. Small State, Smart Influence: China’s Belt and Road Extended to New Zealand

Conventional wisdom in international studies posits that small states are subordinate players, influenced by the hierarchy of international systems. Chapter 10 offers a close look at New Zealand’s proactive and pragmatic participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a case study of a small liberal state maneuvering its bilateral relations with the great powers. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Lin argues that New Zealand, as an exemplar of a small liberal state, has the power to influence China’s foreign policy, such as in the case of the ambitious BRI. He contends that, despite exercising its power and influence in the early stages, New Zealand should be cautious about its increasingly vulnerable position under the BRI, and the limits of free trade-focused bilateral relations with China.