The Covid-19 pandemic as a global threat has made it possible to gain a dynamic perspective
on the behavior of States, and some light on the new international scenario. In this context,
it has become clear that People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the West are competitors in
more than one area, and that it will be necessary to cooperate with the Asian giant for global
stability/balance. In this article, we propose a retrospective (historical) look at the centralized
State of China, and then characterize the current regime in that country. In the context of
Chinese theories of International Relations, we propose to develop the concept of tianxia as a
guide for the definition of a political strategy, considering the criticisms and limitations to the
application of that same concept. Still in the pandemic context, we propose a reading of the
political actions taken by the Chinese regime. The study of tianxia, whatever international
scenario is set, may help us to understand some of the historical foundations of what PRC is
today.
CHINA’S TIANXIA AND FOREIGN POLICY IN THE PANDEMIC CONTEXT
PhD student in Politics at the ISCSP of the University of Lisbon; Master’s in international
Relations, Security and Defense, Institute of Political Studies of the Portuguese Catholic
University, and graduate in International Relations by the same institution. A Professor of
Portuguese Language and Culture at the Normal University of Beijing (China), he collaborated
with the Embassy of Portugal in that city for the promotion of the Portuguese language and as an
examiner of CAPLE language proficiency exams. He has authored articles in publications and
magazines both in international relations and related to the teaching of Portuguese; he has also
taught classes and lectures at a distance to several institutions, namely the Catholic University of
Mozambique, Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa (UAL) and ISCED Open University.
PhD in International Relations from the School of Social Sciences and Humanities of NOVA
University of Lisbon, master also in International Relations by the ISCSP of the Technical
University of Lisbon, and graduate in International Studies by the School of Economics and Social
Sciences of the Central University of Venezuela. Associate Professor at Universidade Autónoma
de Lisboa (Portugal), where she is the Scientific Coordinator of the Degree in International
Relations; she is Coordinator to the Advanced Course of Studies on Latin America, organized by
UAL and the Institute of National Defense; and Coordinator of the Chair of Ibero-American
Studies, a partnership by the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and
Culture (OEI) and UAL. She is an Integrated researcher at the Center for International Studies of
ISCTE-IUL as well and has authored several scientific publications in national and international
journals and is an occasional commentator on issues related to Latin American countries in the
media. Furthermore, she is the Director of the Delegation of the Ibero-American University
Foundation (FUNIBER) in Portugal and has worked as a Consultant in the Education and
Scholarship Service of Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
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Como citar este artigo
Pestana, Luís; Gomes, Nancy Elena Ferreira (2022). China’s tianxia and foreign policy in the
pandemic context. Janus.net, e-journal of international relations, Vol13 N2, November 2022-
April 2023. Consulted [online] in date of last visit, https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-
7251.13.2.4
Article received on 21 March, 2022 and accepted for publication on 26 August, 2022
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