The Missing Voice: Investigating the Absence of a Distinct Chinese International Relations Theory

Abstract

Power and political theory have always gone hand in hand, where International Relations has always been tagged as being Eurocentric, the shifting power centres have resulted in the rise of many Non-Western voices, depicting the nature of a multipolar 21st century. Therefore, studies must be made shedding light on different perspectives developing in the non-Western IR. This paper aims to study China's attempts to make an IR theory that is distinctive in its Chinese origin. For that purpose, the study looks at historical efforts made by the Chinese government, starting with the establishment of the first IR program, to the more recent Xi's announcement of the Global Governance Initiative. The study hints that where there is reason to believe that the Chinese IR theory hasn't truly been realised, it would be unfair to conclude that progress hasn't been made. China's clear intent and initiatives like the Global Development Initiative, Global Civilisation Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Governance Initiative are a sign that China, in future, is likely to achieve a distinct IR theory.