China challenges Western ‘tribute system’ theory in push to control its narrative power

Beijing is stepping up efforts to challenge the Western concept of the “tribute system”, arguing that foreign frameworks distort ancient Chinese diplomacy and misrepresent the country’s contemporary global rise. China is redoubling efforts to define its own practices, experiences and ideas through original, home-grown social science language rather than through what it says are Western conceptual lenses. The theory was forged and made popular in the US decades ago as a means to interpret both...