Xuetong Yan

About the Author

Xuetong Yan is a distinguished scholar and professor of international relations at Tsinghua University, where he directs the Institute of International Relations. Renowned for bridging classical Chinese philosophy with contemporary geopolitical analysis, Yan has profoundly influenced global discourse on China's rise and strategic thinking. His seminal work, Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power (The Princeton-China Series), explores how ancient wisdom from thinkers like Confucius and Han Feizi can inform modern Chinese foreign policy and power dynamics. With a career spanning academia, advisory roles, and prolific publications, Yan advocates for a nuanced understanding of hierarchy in international relations, challenging Western-centric paradigms. His insights continue to shape policy debates worldwide, emphasizing moral realism and strategic culture in an era of shifting global power.