ICP Public Lectures Series: Sovereignty with Chinese Characteristics: Historical Roots of Contemporary Foreign Policy
September 29, 2025
On September 26, the ICP Department of AUCA organized a lecture featuring Dr. Maria Adele Carrai, Assistant Professor of Global China Studies at NYU Shanghai. Dr. Carrai’s research focuses on the history of international law in East Asia, and she was invited to share her insights with AUCA community.
The lecture, titled “Sovereignty with Chinese Characteristics: Historical Roots of Contemporary Foreign Policy”, explored how the concept of sovereignty has shaped China’s past and continues to define its present. Dr. Carrai traced the evolution of China’s self-perception: from the traditional tributary system (tianxia), where the emperor was regarded as ruler of “all under heaven,” to the forced adoption of Western notions of sovereignty during the Opium Wars and the “century of humiliation.”
She highlighted that sovereignty in China has always been both a defensive tool, protecting the state from foreign encroachment and an expansionist tool, used to consolidate territories such as Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Taiwan. Today, sovereignty remains a “hot issue,” particularly regarding Taiwan and the South China Sea, and has even expanded into the realm of cyber-sovereignty, where China asserts its right to control digital space.
Following the lecture, the audience actively engaged with Dr. Carrai, asking questions about:
The role of sovereignty in China’s modern discourse.
Why President Xi Jinping emphasizes ties with Central Asia.
How China projects power internationally, including through large-scale military parades.
The event offered students a rare opportunity to connect historical perspectives with pressing contemporary issues, deepening their understanding of China’s role in global politics.
