Summary: | The rise of China is perhaps the most important development in world politics today. It is
challenging the very foundations of the liberal international order that the Western great powers
have created. Yet, as China emerges as an economic and political powerhouse with global
influence, it is not at all clear what kind of a great power it will become, and what kind of a
world order it sees as its ideal. Chinese official foreign policy rhetoric on the subject offers only
vaguely described slogans and concepts. Another approach for studying “China’s mind” is to
study China’s academic discourse on world politics and foreign relations. In this article, the
academic debate around the concept of tianxia (天下. in English: all under heaven) is analyzed,
in order to study the great power identities that China is constructing for itself as it prepares for
a bigger role in world politics. The article argues that the “tianxia theory” is attempting to
distance China from “the West” by creating a completely unique civilizational identity for
China. The tianxiaist narrative argues that, because of its unique character and because of its
“harmonious” and “worldly” tianxia conception of world politics, China can offer fresh and
relevant alternatives for the international community. This is not only a concern for political
philosophers, as the concepts of tianxia theory also seem to be influencing and inspiring the
foreign policy thinking of the Chinese government.
Keywords: Tianxia theory, tianxiaism, Chinese foreign policy, Chinese great power identity
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