Przydatność kategorii systemu trybutarnego w analizie polityki zagranicznej Chin
Category of Tributary System in Foreign Policy Analysis of the People’s Republic of China

Summary/Abstract: The dynamic of economic growth of the People’s Republic of China, which has lasted for four decades, has initiated the fundamental reorganization of international order in the East Asia region. In this context, it is necessary to search for new applicable methods of Chinese foreign policy analysis. The western school of such analysis has turned out insuffi cient due to the exceptional cultural and historical background of China. The object of this article is to examine the historical international order in East Asia, known as the „tributary system” of China, and to analyse the doubts that arise around it. The peaceful and credible regional policy in East Asia has nowadays become crucial for Beijing, which once again, as in the past, is trying to conduct fl exible, pragmatic policy based on the win-win model. Particular emphasis on examining the elements which constituted the historical „tributary system” is put on the English school of international relations, although it shows its lacks as to the existence of international society. Despite that, the reconstruction of a centralized international order, which is based on the Chinese economic, political, and cultural supremacy, is likely to happen again. The question that still needs to be answered is whether Beijing is going to maintain the peaceful, non-revisionist profi le towards its international partners, or, fueled by the bitter experience of the century of humiliation, it will take advantage of its growing dominance, and adopt more unilateral and confrontational foreign policy.

• Details
• Contents