This paper explores how China seeks to ideologically build regional and international hegemony through a set of historical and cultural elements as a way of framing its global identity. Confucianism, Harmonious Society, and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence can be seen as three important ideational pillars China seeks to advance as an alternative to those historically stipulated by the Western-led international order.
Download the Discussion PaperThe Ideational Pillars of China’s Rise
Written by: Burak Elmalı
Burak Elmalı
Burak Elmali is a Researcher at TRT World Research Centre in Istanbul. He holds an MA degree in Political Science and International Relations from Boğaziçi University. His research areas include the geopolitics of interconnectivity, the concept of great power competition between the U.S. and China and its manifestation in the Gulf. His works were published in various media outlets and he appears in TV as a guest interviewee.
MORE FROM AUTHOR
Will the Gulf Move Closer to China?
The Iran war has delivered a profound, systemic shock to the Gulf, fundamentally challenging two assumptions that have underpinned regional stability for the better...
Weaponising Connectivity: The Iran War and the Rise of Chokepoint Warfare
On the night of 7 April 2026, Iran announced its acceptance of a two-week ceasefire, with negotiations scheduled to commence on 10 April in...
- Tags
- alternative ideology
- China
- Confucianism
- cultural elements
- Diplomacy
- diplomatic strategy
- Five Principles
- global influence
- global power dynamics
- Harmonious Society
- hegemony
- historical context
- ideological framework
- ideology
- international identity
- international relations
- peaceful coexistence
- regional hegemony
- Western Order
MORE FROM CURRENT CATEGORY
After Khamenei: Succession or Succession Crisis?
The joint US-Israeli strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has removed a key pillar upon which the Islamic Republic's political and ideological edifice rested....
Weaponising ‘Freedom’: Regime Change Narratives in the 2026 Iran War
Iran War enters a dangerous new phase as US–Israel strikes follow failed nuclear talks, raising risks of regional escalation and energy shock.
From Reshuffle to Strategy: Ukraine’s Recalibration in a Prolonged War
As Ukraine enters its fifth year of full-scale war, the administration in Kyiv has undertaken its most consequential executive restructuring since February 2022. While...
