IRS 330 China in Global Politics - Rising Power and Ancient Civilisation

China of the 21st century summons a mixed image - an indisputable rising world power, which lifted millions of people from poverty in the scope of 30 years but also a country facing issues with human rights; a fast transforming society embracing modern technologies and AI yet simultaneously the world's oldest bureaucratic state. To understand the rising Asian hegemon, it is crucial to study it not only via the lens of its revolutionary Communist past, but in the context of a 4000 years lasting civilization. Its long cultural, political and philosophical development was entirely independent from the Western tradition and it forms China's politics at home and abroad to this day.

In this course we will study China's determining features such as its population, geography and economy and how these have influenced its position in international relations. By delving into the Middle Kingdom's long history, its patterns of philosophy, religion and society, we will get a better understanding of the culture of China today. How uniform is this culture? What is the position of the minority ethnic groups in Tibet and Xinjiang? What about Taiwan? Alongside domestic policy, we will analyze China's foreign policy and current issues, its unique approach to diplomacy, so different from the West and the ways in which these cultural differences cause major misunderstandings in international diplomacy. We will examine China's relationships with other world powers and its rising economic and political presence in Africa and South America. To quote Napoleon: 'China is the sleeping giant, let her sleep for when she wakes, she will shape the world'.