NCHU Course Outline

Course Name	(中) 中國的戰略文化與外交政策實踐(6096)
	(Eng.) China’s Strategic Culture and the Practice of Foreign Policy
Offering Dept	Graduate Institute of International Politics
Course Type	Elective	Credits	3	Teacher	Yu Chihwei
Department	International Master Program in Asia and China Studies/Graduate	Language	English	Semester	2026-FALL
Course Description	本課程的目的在於協助修課學生理解「戰略」與「外交政策」的差異。閱讀時請特別注意，不同作者如何界定國家目標、手段與限制條件，並思考這些概念是否能被操作化為可比較的研究架構。其次，本課程將引導修課學生將「戰略文化」視為一種可用於比較分析的中介變數，而非文化決定論。 而在中國的案例中，早期對中國戰略文化的討論多半出自於文化現實主義（cultural realism），這個論點出自於江憶恩（Alastair Iain Johnston）對武經七書的檢視，但更值得留意的是：經典文本究竟是規範性資源、歷史修辭，或仍具有可觀察的政策後果，並思考其如何被當代政治菁英再詮釋，因此在閱讀江憶恩研究的同時，這門課程也要求修課學生重新閱讀部分經典。其次，近年對中國戰略文化的討論則出自於日本學者對「朝貢體系」與華人學者對「天下」這一概念的重新檢視，這是一套關於秩序、合法性與不對稱權力的世界觀，請比較不同學者如何將天下體系轉化為分析框架，並思考其是否能用來解釋當代中國的區域秩序想像與外交實踐。 最後，戰略文化—不論是江憶恩的文化現實主義、朝貢體系或天下的概念—能否用於檢視當代中國的外交政策？這麼課程挑選了中國應對大國的政策、中小型國家的政策、以及中國國際秩序的追求等三個議題檢視，以回答傳統的戰略經典是否影響當代中國的外交政策。 This course aims to help students distinguish between "strategy" and "foreign policy." In doing the readings, pay close attention to how different authors define state goals, means, and constraints, and consider whether these concepts can be operationalized into a comparable analytical framework. The course also asks students to treat "strategic culture" as a comparative intervening variable rather than a form of cultural determinism. On the China case, earlier scholarship on Chinese strategic culture grew largely out of cultural realism, an argument developed by Alastair Iain Johnston through his examination of the Seven Military Classics (武經七書). The more important question, however, is whether these classical texts function as normative resources, as historical rhetoric, or as sources of observable policy consequences, and how contemporary political elites reinterpret them. The course therefore asks students to read Johnston's work alongside a selection of the classical texts themselves. Recent scholarship on Chinese strategic culture has come from a different direction. Japanese scholars have reexamined the "tribute system," and Chinese-language scholars have revisited the concept of tianxia (天下), a worldview built around order, legitimacy, and asymmetric power. Compare how different authors turn tianxia into an analytical framework, and consider whether it can explain contemporary China's vision of regional order and its diplomatic practice. Finally, can strategic culture (whether framed through Johnston's cultural realism, the tribute system, or the concept of tianxia) help us understand contemporary Chinese foreign policy? To answer this, the course examines three sets of cases: China's policy toward great powers, its policy toward small and medium powers, and its pursuit of a preferred international order. Together, these cases test whether the classical strategic tradition still shapes China's contemporary foreign policy.
Prerequisites				self-directed learning in the course	Y

Relevance of Course Objectives and Core Learning Outcomes(%)			Teaching and Assessment Methods for Course Objectives
Course Objectives	Competency Indicators	Ratio(%)	Teaching Methods	Assessment Methods
1. 批判性閱讀中國戰略經典與相關理論(Read the Chinese strategic classics and the related theoretical literature critically.) 2. 理解並比較中國秩序觀的不同詮釋(Understand and compare competing interpretations of Chinese conceptions of order)。 3. 引導學生如何操作化「戰略文化」作為分析工具(Learn to operationalize "strategic culture" as an analytical tool)。 4. 完成符合學術期刊期待的論文初稿(Produce a first draft of a paper suitable for submission to an academic journal)。			topic Discussion/Production Discussion Lecturing	Written Presentation Attendance Oral Presentation Assignment
Course Content and Homework/Schedule/Tests Schedule
Week Course Content Week 1 何謂戰略文化？ What Is Strategic Culture? Wight, Martin. 1966. “Why Is There No International Theory?” In Diplomatic Investigations, edited by H. Butterfield and M. Wight, 17–34. London: George Allen & Unwin. Kennedy, Paul. 1991. Grand Strategy in War and Peace. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, chap. 1, 1–7. Murray, Williamson. 2010. “Thoughts on Grand Strategy and the United States in the Twenty-first Century.” Journal of Military and Strategic Studies 13 (1): 76–88. Biddle, Tami Davis. 2016. Strategy and Grand Strategy: What Students and Practitioners Need to Know. Carlisle, PA: U.S. Army War College, 1–37. available on: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/AD1013685.pdf Week 2 戰略文化：定義與作為分析工具的案例 Strategic Culture: Definitions and Cases as an Analytical Tool Howard, Russell D. 2013. Strategic Culture. Tampa, FL: Joint Special Operations University. Available on: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D-PURL-gpo81102/pdf/GOVPUB-D-PURL-gpo81102.pdf. Biddle, Tami Davis. 2016. Strategy and Grand Strategy, 38–58. available on: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/AD1013685.pdf Zaman, Uzma. 2009. “Strategic Culture: A ‘Cultural’ Understanding of War.” Comparative Strategy 28 (1): 68–88. Aydın, Mustafa. 2021. “Grand Strategizing in and for Turkish Foreign Policy.” Perceptions 25 (2): 203–226. Fasola, Nicolò. 2024. Reinterpreting Russia’s Strategic Culture: The Russian Way of War. New York: Routledge, chap. 1. Week 3 中國的戰略文化（I）：文化現實主義與武經七書 Chinese Strategic Culture (I): Cultural Realism and the Seven Military Classics Johnston, Alastair Iain. 1995. “Thinking about Strategic Culture.” International Security 19 (4): 32–64. Johnston, Alastair Iain. 1995. Cultural Realism: Strategic Culture and Grand Strategy in Chinese History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, Chapter 1 《尉繚子》，詳見：https://ctext.org/wei-liao-zi/zh Week 4 中國的戰略文化（II）：文化現實主義與武經七書 Chinese Strategic Culture (II): Cultural Realism and the Seven Military Classics Johnston, Alastair Iain. 1995. Cultural Realism: Strategic Culture and Grand Strategy in Chinese History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press,. Chapter 2-3 孫武撰、曹操註、郭化若譯，2006。《孫子兵法》。上海古籍出版社。 Week 5 中國的戰略文化（III）：文化現實主義與武經七書 Chinese Strategic Culture (II): Cultural Realism and the Seven Military Classics Johnston, Alastair Iain. 1995. Cultural Realism: Strategic Culture and Grand Strategy in Chinese History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press,. Chapter 4, 6, 劉仲平註譯。2013。《司馬法今註今譯》。台北：商務印書館。 Week 6 中國的戰略文化（IV）：文化現實主義與武經七書 Chinese Strategic Culture (II): Cultural Realism and the Seven Military Classics Johnston, Alastair Iain. 1995. Cultural Realism: Strategic Culture and Grand Strategy in Chinese History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, Chapter 7, 8. 徐培根。2020。《太公六韜今註今譯》。台北：商務印書館。 Week 7 中國的戰略文化（V）：文化現實主義與武經七書 Chinese Strategic Culture (II): Cultural Realism and the Seven Military Classics 鄔錫非 注譯。2020。《新譯李衛公問對(二版)》。台北：三民書局。 Smith, Stephen N. 2021. “China’s ‘Major Country Diplomacy.’” Foreign Policy Analysis 17 (2): 1–18. Week 8 中國的戰略文化（I）：天下與朝貢體系 Chinese Strategic Culture: Tianxia and the Tribute System (Part I) 張登及、陳瑩羲。2012。「朝貢體系再現與『天下體系』興起？中國外交的案例研究與理論反思」，《中國大陸研究》，第 55 卷第 4 期，頁 89-123。 濱下武志著，朱蔭貴、歐陽菲譯，1999。《近代中國的國際契機：朝 貢貿易體系與近代亞洲經濟圈》。北京：中國社會科學出版社。 何芳川，1998/11-12。〈華夷秩序論〉，《北京大學學報（哲學社會科 學版）》（北京），1998年第6期，頁30-45。 張啟雄，2009。〈兩岸關係理論之建構--「名分秩序論」的研究途徑--〉，包宗和、吳玉山編，《重新檢視爭辯中的兩岸關係理論》，台北：五南圖書出版公司，2009年9月，頁115-138。 Week 9 中國的戰略文化（II）：天下與朝貢體系 Chinese Strategic Culture: Tianxia and the Tribute System (Part II) 趙汀陽，天下體系：世界制度哲學導論（南京：江蘇教育出版社，2005年）。 陳廷湘、周鼎，天下、世界、國家：近代中國對外觀念演變史論（上海：三聯書店， 2008 年）。 甘懷真主編。《東亞歷史上的天下與中國概念》。台北：台灣大學出版中心。第二、三章。 Week 10 中國對安全的追求(I)： China’s Pursuit of Security (I) Nathan, Andrew J., and Robert S. Ross. 1997. The Great Wall and the Empty Fortress. New York: W. W. Norton, chaps. 1, 2, 13. Fravel, M. Taylor. 2005. ”Regime Insecurity and International Cooperation.” International Security 30, no. 2: 46–83. Kang, David C., Jackie S. H. Wong, and Zenobia T. Chan. 2025. ”What Does China Want?” International Security 50, no. 1: 46–81. Scobell, Andrew, and Kai He. 2026. ”Why Getting China Half Right Risks Getting It All Wrong.” The Washington Quarterly 49, no. 1: 89–107. Nguyen Cong Tung. 2026. ”Unveiling Relational Power in Foreign Policy: Insights from China–Vietnam Relations.” Foreign Policy Analysis 22, no. 2 (April): oraf042. https://doi.org/10.1093/fpa/oraf042. Fu, Diana, and Greg Distelhorst. 2018. ”Grassroots Participation and Repression under Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping.” The China Journal 79: 100–105. Week 11 中國對安全的追求(II)： China’s Pursuit of Security (II) Pearson, M. M., Rithmire, M., & Tsai, K. S. (2022). China’s party-state capitalism and international backlash: From interdependence to insecurity. International Security, 47(2), 135–176. Stevens, F. M. S. (2025). A revanchist Chinese foreign policy with Xi Jinping’s politics in command. Journal of Contemporary China. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2025.2589803 Liu, F. (2020). The recalibration of Chinese assertiveness: China’s responses to the Indo-Pacific challenge. International Affairs, 96(1), 9–27. Greitens, S. C., Lee, M., & Yazici, E. (2020). Counterterrorism and preventive repression: China’s changing strategy in Xinjiang. International Security, 44(3), 9–47. Hiim, H. S., Fravel, M. T., & Trøan, M. L. (2023). The dynamics of an entangled security dilemma: China’s changing nuclear posture. International Security, 47(4), 147–187. Week 12 中國的大國政策 Rudd, Kevin. 2022. “The World According to Xi Jinping.” Foreign Affairs 101 (6): 8–21. Goldstein, Avery. 2020. “China’s Grand Strategy under Xi Jinping.” International Security 45 (1): 164–201. Davis, A. E., et al. 2020. “International Relations and the Himalaya.” Australian Journal of International Affairs 75 (1): 15–35. Zhang, Kai. 2023. “Explaining Chinese Military Coercion.” Journal of Contemporary China 32 (141): 399–416. Avery Goldstein, “China’s Grand Strategy under Xi Jinping: Reassurance, Reform, and Resistance,” International Security 45, no. 1 (2020): 164–201 Week 13 中國對中小型國家的政策 Chubb, Andrew, and Frances Yaping Wang. 2023. “Authoritarian Propaganda Campaigns.” International Studies Quarterly 67 (3) , also available on: https://academic.oup.com/isq/article/67/3/sqad047/7221446. Fraenkel, Jon, and Graeme Smith. 2022. “The Solomons–China Security Deal.” Australian Journal of International Affairs 76 (5): 473–485. Yoshikawa, Sachiko. 2022. “China’s Policy towards Myanmar.” Journal of Contemporary East Asia Studies 11 (1): 143–161. 游智偉、張登及(2011)。「中國的非洲政策：軟權力與朝貢體系的分析」，《遠景季刊》，第 12 卷第 4 期，頁 111-156。 陳思宇、張登及(2025)。「天下的越南與越南的天下：越南後黎朝對外交往之關係與權力研究。」《政治科學論叢》，審查通過，即將刊出。（Forthcoming） Week 14 中國對秩序的追求與政策（I） China’s Pursuit of International Order and Its Policies (II) Johnston, Alastair Iain. “Is China a Status Quo Power?” International Security, vol. 27, no. 4, 2003, pp. 5–56. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4137603. Accessed 24 July 2026. Deng, Yong. 2021. “How China Builds the Credibility of the Belt and Road Initiative,” Journal of Contemporary China, Vol.30, pp. 734-750. Chen, Ling S., and Miles M. Evers. 2023. “Wars without Gun Smoke”: Global Supply Chains, Power Transitions, and Economic Statecraft. International Security 2023; 48 (2): 164–204. Beckley, Michael. 2023. “The Peril of Peaking Powers: Economic Slowdowns and Implications for China’s Next Decade.” International Security, 48 (1): 7–46. Schindler, S., Alami, I., DiCarlo, J., Jepson, N., Rolf, S., Bayırbağ, M. K., Zhao, Y. 2023. “The Second Cold War: US-China Competition for Centrality in Infrastructure, Digital, Production, and Finance Networks.” Geopolitics, 29(4), 1083–1120, also available on: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14650045.2023.2253432. Week 15 中國對秩序的追求與政策（II） China’s Pursuit of International Order and Its Policies (II) Guiqiang Liu, “A Critical Appraisal of China’s Blocking Statutes from a Private Actor’s Perspective,” Chinese Journal of Transnational Law 1, no. 2 (September 2024): 154–175. Goldstein, A. 2020. China’s Grand Strategy under Xi Jinping: Reassurance, Reform, and Resistance. International Security 45(1): 164-201. Yahuda, M. 2013. “China’s New Assertiveness in the South China Sea.” Journal of Contemporary China 22(82): 454-455. Johnston, Alastair Iain. 2017. “Is Chinese Nationalism Rising? Evidence from Beijing.” International Security, 41 (3): 7–43. Friedberg, A. L. 2014. “The Sources of Chinese Conduct: Explaining Beijing’s Assertiveness.” The Washington Quarterly, 37(4), 133–150. Week 16 期末報告 self-directed learning    03.Preparing presentations or reports related to industry and academia.
Evaluation
Class Presentation (30%) Students assigned to the presentation should summarize the assigned readings according to the following structure: The main argument of the article. The structure of the article. Whether the article uses specific cases to support its argument, or counterexamples to refute rival positions. Class Participation (30%) Students not assigned to the presentation should be prepared to answer the following two questions: Do the main arguments of these articles have parallels in the classical Chinese strategic texts? Where do they diverge? Semester Paper (40%) Students are required to submit a research paper of no more than 15,000 characters (Chinese) or 10,000 words (English), including references and notes. The topic should relate to Chinese strategic culture, historical cases, or contemporary Chinese foreign policy. The paper should include a clear research question, a literature review, case analysis, and engagement with the relevant theoretical debates. For historical cases, students may consult the database of the Twenty-Four Histories (二十四史) that the instructor has compiled and provided.
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