Replication Data for: Why So Many Layers? China’s ‘State-Speak’ and its Classification of Partnerships

The emphasis here is on examining whom states are interacting with (actors), not what they are adhering to (objects). Hence, the purpose of the dataset is to be able to visualize the existing collective habitude of what 'state-speak' looks like in the 18 countries of East/Southeast Asia (as of 2015). 'State-speak' is basically the diverse vocabulary or 'labels' that states give to designate their bilateral relationships (i.e. strategic partnerships, comprehensive partnerships, comprehensive strategic partnerships...). These labels have been extracted from a joint declaration or statement following a highly publicized bilateral summit between two heads of state, rather than informal and/or descriptive references made in the media. A visualization of the network is striking not only in terms of the centrality of the People's Republic of China (PRC), but also the other four most embedded actors in the region: Japan, Vietnam, Republic of Korea (ROK), and India.