China's Foreign Policy and Critical Theory of International Relations

摘要

Informed by the ongoing structural shifts in inter-state relations, this study proposes Critical Theory of International Relations (CTIR) as a framework to analyze China's foreign policy doctrine. It holds that the critical method best reflects China's conceptualization of international relations due to its emphasis on the state's principal function to lead historical progress and emancipation, as opposed to traditional theories which either ignore the state and give priority to sub-state or supra-state structures, or do not recognize its potential to serve as an emancipatory agency. This essay, in this respect, represents an introductory attempt to apply CTIR to contemporary international relations, maintaining that China's material and ideational emergence signifies a radical transformation of the post-war global order and the role of the state.