Re-conceptualizing China's rise as a global power: a neo-tributary perspective

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.