Relationalism(s) unpacked : engaging Yaqing Qin’s theory of world politics

Abstract

In a spirit of dialogue, this article engages Yaqing Qin’s relational theory of world politics in a conversation by trying to relate it to Western theoretical partners outside of his (mainly Anglo-American) individualist and rationalist focus. The central piece of the analysis is Qin’s relationalism, which provides the link between different levels of theorizing: as an ontology, it allows us to approach a different Weltanschauung or cosmology; as a theory, it purports to understand and explain how politicians act; as a hermeneutic bridge, it allows outsiders to understand the meaning of Chinese foreign policy actions; and as a strategy, it develops Confucian-inspired practical maxims and provides means to assess whether actors live up to them. This article will unpack his relationalism at these levels. It argues that by trying to closely match a single theory at all levels—in itself a highly respectable endeavor from which many scholars regrettably recoil—Qin underutilizes his ontological insights. By trying to provide the underlying inspirations that should help outside observers to correctly interpret Chinese conduct in world affairs, practice is read back into theory so that his relationalism becomes unnecessarily agency-centric and ends up underestimating relations of impersonal and non-conflictual power or domination. The move also forestalls other theoretical solutions arguably more faithful to his ontology, such as social theories of recognition with which it could be in dialogue. Finally, on the level of foreign policy strategy, the article invites exploration of the similarities between the open diplomatic process envisaged by Qin and the Helsinki process, as well as trust or confidence building measures in a system of diffuse reciprocity, as envisaged by (true) multilateralism.