What Kind of World Order? Tianxia and China's Global Vision

In this episode of Mapping Global China Conversations, Professor Maria Adele Carrai sits down with Professor Liu Qing—a leading Chinese political theorist and Distinguished Professor of Political Science at East China Normal University—to explore the philosophical foundations and ethical possibilities of China's global engagement. Drawing from Confucian values, concepts like tianxia (all-under-heaven), and contemporary reflections on cosmopolitanism, Liu discusses China’s rise not as a new hegemon, but as a call for rethinking world order beyond domination. Can a relational view of self and culture guide us toward a more just and pluralist global community? What does a post-pandemic international order require from both China and the West? And what does it mean to form “a community of shared future for mankind”?

 

 Join us for a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation that bridges philosophy, geopolitics, and intercultural understanding.

Our Guest: Professor Liu Qing – Distinguished Professor of Political Science, East China Normal University; public intellectual and expert in political philosophy, cosmopolitanism, and Chinese intellectual traditions.

 

Discussion Topics:

✅ Tianxia and Relational Thinking – How ancient Chinese concepts like "tianxia" offer alternative imaginations of global order

✅ What is Cosmopolitanism Today? – Beyond Western individualism: a relational and culturally dynamic vision

✅ Nation-States, Sovereignty, and Identity – Rethinking the boundaries of political community in a fragmented world

✅ Human Rights and Shared Values** – How different civilizations articulate common ideals in diverse ways

✅ China’s Global Role – Is China offering a new paradigm of soft power, or simply replacing an old one?

✅ The Ethics of Coexistence – Why Liu Qing argues that “culture can make friends too”

✅ Hope Beyond Hegemony – Toward a pluralist world shaped by mutual recognition and dialogue

Mapping Global China Conversations is a multimedia interview series featuring leading thinkers, practitioners, and scholars from around the world. Through deep discussions and interdisciplinary insights, we explore the shifting dynamics of China’s global presence—across borders, sectors, and scales.