The International Relations Theoretical Discourse in China: One World, Different Explanations

摘要

This article argues that, even though there is a dearth of systematic theorizing, there indeed is a rich IR theoretical discourse in China which developed over the course of the 60 years of the Peoples Republic of China. It attempts to synthesize and analyze that discourse, which largely reflects China's diplomatic thinking and implicitly or explicitly affects its foreign policy making. It focuses on six sub-topics which include: (1) war, peace, and development; (2) the concept of contradictions; (3) the distribution of power and multipolarity; (4) the new international economic and political order; (5) the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence; and (6) Harmonious World.