ABSTRACT

The reasons why we are in the presence of a third wave of autocratization are not clear yet. However, explanations that prioritize international factors to understand domestic phenomena are increasingly relevant and difficult to avoid. These explanations derive from classic works, which have observed the role of international organizations, to more recent investigations, which consider the role of autocratic regional powers. Due to the characteristics of its regime, China has not escaped the literature on promoting autocracy. However, there is little evidence that China affects or intends to modify the internal political organization of other countries. In this sense, the objective of this article is to debate the role of China as a possible (or not) promoter and diffuser of autocracy. For this purpose, a critical analysis of the literature on this subject and of the investigations that have focused on China was carried out. The analysis of this case detects the complexities of the debate on the promotion of autocracy and the causal mechanisms by which international actors can influence a change of political regime. Based on the Chinese case study, a framework is proposed to better understand how external factors can influence the third wave of autocratization.

Keywords: China; autocratic promotion; democracy; authoritarianism; political regime; international actors.