The common view among researchers is that the majority of business’ efforts to influence policy process in China rely extensively on personal ties, while the voice of diffuse interests has been, almost without exceptions, ignored though the stages of policy-making process. This study, however, suggests that business lobbying in China may be somewhat more institutionalized and resource-based than is repeatedly recognized. Empirical analysis of three case studies in the field of environmental protection, triangulated with survey data, are set out to investigate the influence of interest groups on policy outcomes, and to demonstrate the conditions under which those groups are able to exert influence on policy-making in China. The study indicates that the diffuse interests associations' direct lobbying success remains limited, yet it shows that through their voice strategies they may exert some degree of influence on decision-making process. The article, by providing better understanding of the access and influence both specific and diffuse interests have on policy-making process, also informs on over-all patterns of state-society relations in China.
