Trust (Xinren/?? or Huxin/?? in Chinese) is one of the most frequently used expressions in Chinese foreign policy documents. Nevertheless, it is a rather understudied topic in the field of Chinese international relation. In the meantime, while the Chinese government frequently mentions about building trust, but the on-going disputes with its neighboring countries seem to provide the evidence for the opposite, distrust. This course would like to bring this asymmetry into the discussion of Chinese foreign policy. This course will start with a more theoretical discussion of trust in international relation to build a foundation for the future discussion and then shift to the systematic empirical investigation of China's behavior on the international stage. Specifically, this course would like to address the two points. What kind of security challenges is China facing? How does trust or distrust of China towards its counterpart affect China's behavior when coping with these threats to its national security? Through a rather microlens, trust in the practice of foreign policy, this course aims to reveal a bigger picture of how China is managing its relation with its counterparts, to manage conflict and to establish a more favorable international environment to its own development. After the course, students are expected to obtain an overview of dynamics of Chinese foreign policy, some basic knowledge of international relation psychology and some training on conducting an independent research project on Chinese foreign policy. To participate in this course, students are expected to have some very basic knowledge of international relation (the general theoretical debate) and Chinese foreign policy. However, students with little knowledge are also welcome to take this course. After the first session, based on the background of the students, the instructor may also rearrange the content of some sessions to make it better fit for the overall group's interest. close