3-4 Aug 2006, Singapore

organised by Asia Research Institute

How has China, in rhetoric and practice, responded to or rationalized her changing position in Asia over the past two centuries? This ARI conference proposes a re-examination of China’s place in Asia since 1800. It will examine how China saw its position in Asia and how smaller Asian states, particularly in Southeast Asia, viewed it. The conference will bring together historians of late Imperial (1800-1911), Republican (1911-1949) and Communist (1949-) China, historians of colonial and post-colonial Southeast Asia, and International Relations specialists. Topics will include the demise of “traditional” perception (rhetoric), the emergence of new structures, the use of historical memories or constructions of past relationships and the constant defying of these by pragmatic actors on the ground. An integral question being investigated by the conference is whether the Westphalian system has been challenged in Asia. Behind these question is an implicit assumption that there is a real need for rethinking International Relation in this region of conflicting world views.

China’s modern borders were re-defined during the high colonial era, which ended a “tribute system” manifestly at odds with the Westphalian system. The late 19th century when these borders were internationally recognised and the mid-20 th century when colonial control over China’s southern/eastern borders ended were particularly important turning points in establishing how far Westphalia would work in Asia. How should we understand China’s rhetoric towards these changes and how did Chinese officials on the ground dealing with the changes respond to them? Was there a pattern to China’s responses or rationalisation? How far did other Asian countries and nationalisms accept a Westphalian concept of sovereign equality? With China joining international organisations as an equal partner and as Asia contemplates the “peaceful rise” of China in the 21st century, it is important to clarify what the past has to tell us about future possibilities, misunderstandings, and options for modifying the currently contested world order.

Possible topics:

• Chinese reactions to or rationalisations of the loss of the two opium wars
• Chinese reactions to or rationalisations of the collapse of the imperial order and the boundary agreements of the late 19 th century
• The struggle to assert equality by smaller Asian states (such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam) within the Westphalian assumptions
• Pan-Asianism in the late 19 th /early 20 th centuries, and dreams of a new Asian “order”
• Making and evolution of Asian identities in the 20 th century (exemplified, for instance, through major events such as the Bandung Conference)
• Cold War Communist Internationalism and interactions with nationalisms
• Asia’s reaction to PRC legitimacy and UN membership, CCP adjustments to non-recognition by Malaya, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and the case of Taiwan
• The post-Mao era & “China’s peaceful rise”; ASEAN + 1 or + 3; the effects of economic superstate-dom; Present uses of the past
• PRC rhetoric and officials dealing with changes in the international arena
• Patterns and theory of China’s rhetoric and rationalisation

Call for Papers

Paper proposals including 400-word abstracts and 5-line biography should be sent by 30 April 2005 to Valerie Yeo at the following e-mail address. Successful applicants will be advised by 1 June 2005 and will be urged to send a completed paper by 1 March 2006.

For enquiries, please contact:

Dr Zheng Yangwen at arizyw@nus.edu.sg
Professor Liu Hong at chsliuh@nus.edu.sg

Secretariat:
Valerie Yeo at ariyeov@nus.edu.sg