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Abstract
Two analytical perspectives – conventional wisdom derived from warlordism and European colonialism, and soft-power concepts drawn from post-Cold-War American international relations – are prevalent lenses for analysing China's global rise. However, neither considers the role of the past in shaping China's contemporary diplomacy. This paper fills the gap of this under-researched area by providing an alternative perspective featuring analytic categories rooted in China's tributary tradition. It proposes a neo-tributary framework for systematically interpreting historical Chinese mentalities and strategies embedded in China's contemporary power strategy.
Acknowledgements
The authors are very grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their constructive and insightful comments on the earlier version of this article. Su-Yan Pan is thankful to the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, whose Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship Scheme (Ref. No: R9301–HSSPFS-HKIEd-802-HSS-13) granted her extended time-off to focus on research and academic writing that have greatly benefited her work on this article.