Fei Vincent Mo

Vincent Mo’s project explores how Chinese scholars of international relations (IR) theorize and present “what China is” and “China’s relations with others” through key political concepts: state, civilization, morality, and relationality. Many Chinese IR scholars contribute to current theoretical debates in the field through the prism of ancient Chinese philosophy and political concepts embedded in different historical contexts. For example, the concept of “state” (國) in the Spring and Autumn period (770–481 BC) did not mean sovereign state, and the relationships among those “kingdoms” were not diplomatic relationships between sovereign states. Chinese IR brings those ancient concepts alive. There is, therefore, a hidden gap: how do modern Chinese IR theories re-interpret and re-theorize those concepts from different historical contexts into contemporary IR discussions? By analyzing two top academic journals, this study reveals how these concepts play a role in knowledge production and further shape China’s foreign policies towards others, especially Europe. This contributes to the IWM’s The World in Pieces program, which focuses on identity politics and transnational knowledge production and highlights the fluid and interconnected nature of modern international politics.