On the afternoon of September 7, 2023, the Institute of International and Strategic Studies (IISS), Peking University (PKU) hosted lecture series under the 66th North Pavilion Seminar, titled “The History of International Relations Studies in China: A Discussion on Writing”. The lecture was delivered by Ren Xiao, author of the book and Professor at the Institute of International Studies, Fudan University. The event was chaired by Prof. Yu Tiejun, President of IISS, PKU.

Prof. Ren Xiao's book, The History of International Relations Studies in China, was published in 2022 by the Commercial Press. In this lecture, Prof. Ren Xiao first reviewed the existing academic achievements regarding the development and evolution of international relations studies in China. He pointed out that there had not been a single work covering the complete history of international relations studies in China, which motivated him to undertake the task of writing this academic history on his own.

Prof. Ren then shared his thoughts and experiences during the writing process, following the timeline of the development of international relations studies in China. The book starts with 1919, when international relations became an independent modern discipline. Through extensive reading of international relations literature from the Republican Era, Prof. Ren found out that the greatest achievements in international relations research during this period were in the field of international law, with the emergence of several master-level scholars. Additionally, the experiences and writings of many scholars from this period are worth exploring. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, national adjustments to university departments in 1952 and the Central Document “Report on Strengthening Research[AB1]  on Foreign Work” issued in December 1963 had a significant impact on the development of the discipline, so Prof. Ren streamlined the international relations-related organizations and institutions established during this period. The beginning of the reform era marked a watershed in the development of the discipline. In the 1990s, based on the restoration, rebuilding and learning from foreign advancements in the 1980s, the discipline displayed a new facet in its development. Chinese academic institutions increasingly held international academic conferences, and a large number of research achievements emerged. Since the 21st century, international relations studies in China have flourished, producing outstanding results in various subfields. Prof. Ren paid special attention to the "Chinese school" of international relations theory, believing that this period saw the development of original Chinese theories of international relations, with different theoretical schools such as "relational theory," "moral realism," "tianxia theory," and "coexistence theory," becoming the brightest highlights in the first two decades of the 21st century in China's international relations studies.

During the question and discussion session, Prof. Ren engaged with students and faculty on topics such as the competition between Chinese and Western discourse systems, innovation of Chinese international relations theory and core theories of the "Chinese school", factors promoting and hindering the development of international relations studies in China, international relations research and academic heritage from the Republican Era, and the disciplinary definition of international relations studies. (Contributor: Chen Danmei)

Editor: Li Fangqi, Photographer: Zheng Peijie)