Qin Yaqing's relational theory frames China's diplomatic web

Academic Qin Yaqing, former president of China Foreign Affairs University, has articulated a relational theory of world politics that organizes Chinese foreign policy around the concept of guanxi—a web of relations rooted in Confucian thought. This framework treats states as "actors-in-relations" whose identities and preferences emerge from ties, not pre-existing interests. Cooperation shapes relations rather than following from them. The theory uses a metaphor of ripples from a stone dropped in water: each state sits at the center of concentric circles, with the innermost ring holding closest partners. States drift inward or outward as ties strengthen or fray, but no relationship is beyond repair. Beijing sees order as a process remade by actors within the web, where relationships bind more deeply than contracts due to reciprocal investment. China Foreign Affairs University, alma mater of Foreign Minister Wang Yi, has trained over 600 Chinese ambassadors and is called the "cradle of Chinese diplomacy." This relational web is increasingly visible in China's diplomatic malleability and prowess.