Abstract

TIAN, Xintong  and  MENDES, Carmen Amado. Rethinking tribute system and Chinese foreign Aid from a relational perspective. Relações Internacionais [online]. 2021, n.71, pp.87-103.  Epub Sep 30, 2021. ISSN 1645-9199.  https://doi.org/10.23906/ri2021.71a06.

Did China provide what can be termed foreign aid to neighbouring countries in ancient times? This is a fascinating but largely neglected question. Previous studies on China’s foreign aid generally didn’t pay significant attention to the many centuries when diplomatic relations in East Asia were regulated by the tribute system. In this article, we argue this omission lies in the substantialist metaphysics on which the concepts of foreign aid and the tribute system are grounded. By taking a relational perspective, we test the view that the Chinese tribute system and foreign aid are of one and the same fundamental nature, characterized by voluntary participation, reciprocity and relation-orientation.

Keywords : China; foreign aid; tribute system; relational theory.

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