Chinese School of International Relations Theory

Over the last twenty years (1995–2015), the Chinese School of International Relations has intensively expanded its work from making “copies” and “rewritings” of Western ideas to developing completely independent concepts, some of which claim are flexible and versatile. Scientists from the PRC have studied Western theories and argued with their postulates, bringing their historical experience, and philosophical understanding of the imperatives of a traditional culture. In addition to Western rationality, they offer “relationship”, “morality” and “family principles” as a basis of a new world political space. The process of borrowing in the Chinese academic community continues but it seems that Chinese researchers have already crossed a dangerous threshold of intellectual self­colonization and have become “a factory for the production of international knowledge”. China has formulated the main concepts of international relations “with Chinese characteristics”, which can be seen as attempts to create its own “big theory”. The article gives a brief periodization of the development of the Chinese IR Theory and examines the main provisions of Zhao Tingyang’s concept of global institute of “Tianxia”, Yan Xuetong's “theory of moral realism”, and Qin Yaqing's “theory of relations”, which today are the main trends of the Chinese IRT which fit into the format of big theories – idealism, realism, and constructivism, enriched with their own scientific language and a rich political practice.

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