Yan Xuetong

Yan Xuetong stands as one of China's most influential figures in international relations, serving as Distinguished Professor and Dean of the Institute of International Relations at Tsinghua University. Born in 1952, he pioneered 'moral realism' in international relations theory, combining Western realist ideas with classical Chinese political thought. After earning his BA in English from Heilongjiang University, MA from Beijing's Institute of International Relations, and PhD from UC Berkeley under Kenneth Waltz, he has built an extraordinary career spanning academia and policy advisory roles. His groundbreaking 1996 work "Analysis of China's National Interests" transformed Chinese foreign policy discourse by advocating national interest prioritization over traditional proletarian internationalism. Named among Foreign Policy's Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2008, he remains the only political scientist consistently listed among China's Most Cited Researchers by Elsevier (2014-2017). As chief editor of The Chinese Journal of International Politics and Secretary General of the World Peace Forum, he continues to shape international relations discourse while serving on numerous prestigious boards including the China Association of International Relations Studies and the China Association of American Studies. His recent work focuses on applying lessons from China's traditional tianxia system to modern international relations, arguing that great powers must exercise humane authority rather than hegemony to gain international respect.