Scottish Centre for China Research

China is pursuing a global strategy aimed at reshaping the international order to achieve global pre-eminence, in line with Xi Jinping’s romanticized vision of the ancient tianxia or Sino-centric order, adapted for the modern era. This talk examines how Xi Jinping Thought can be harnessed as a data source to ascertain, analyse, and evaluate China’s global strategy. It discusses both the utility and limitations of this source in explaining and predicting China’s international engagements and considers how these limitations might be addressed. The talk draws on materials from the forthcoming book China’s Global Strategy under Xi Jinping by Steve Tsang and Olivia Cheung, to be published by Oxford University Press in 2026.

Dr Olivia Cheung is Lecturer in Politics at the Department of European & International Studies and Affiliate of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London. She is also China Fellow at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy of the Brussels School of Governance at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.