Tang China in Multi-Polar Asia

Using a synthetic narrative approach, this ambitious work uses the lens of multipolarity to analyse Tang Chinas (618907) relations with Turkestan; the Korean states of Kogury, Silla, and Paekche; the state of Parhae in Manchuria; and the Nanzhao and Tibetan kingdoms. Without any one entity able to dominate Asias geopolitical landscape, the author argues that relations among these countries were quite fluid and dynamican interpretation that departs markedly from the prevalent view of China fixed at the center of a widespread tribute system. To cope with external affairs in a tumultuous world, Tang China employed a dual management system that allowed both central and local officials to conduct foreign affairs. The court authorised Tang local administrators to receive foreign visitors, forward their diplomatic letters to the capital, and manage contact with outsiders whose territories bordered on China. Not limited to handling routine matters, local officials used their knowledge of border situations to influence the courts foreign policy. Some even took the liberty of acting without the courts authorisation when an emergency occurred, thus adding another layer to multipolarity in the regions geopolitics. The book also sheds new light on the ideological foundation of Tang Chinas foreign policy. Appropriateness, efficacy, expedience, and mutual self-interest guided the courts actions abroad. Although officials often used virtue and righteousness in policy discussions and announcements, these terms were not abstract universal principles but justifications for the pursuit of self-interest by those involved. Detailed philological studies reveal that in the realm of international politics, virtue and righteousness were in fact viewed as pragmatic and utilitarian in nature. Comprehensive and authoritative, Tang China in Multi-Polar Asia is a major work on Tang foreign relations that will reconceptualise our understanding of the complexities of diplomacy and war in imperial China.