FENG ZHANG

Associate Research Scholar & Lecturer • Yale University

Feng Zhang

International Relations and China

I am a scholar of international relations specializing in Chinese foreign policy, IR theory, and the international order of East and Southeast Asia. My research bridges Chinese and Western theoretical traditions to illuminate how history, philosophy, and culture shape contemporary statecraft. My academic experience includes teaching at institutions across Australia, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Currently, I serve as Associate Research Scholar and Lecturer at Yale University's MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies and Department of Political Science.

Current Research

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Forthcoming Book

History, Lessons, Analogies: Learning from Wars and Pandemics

Co-authored with Richard Ned Lebow. Investigates how states and leaders learn—or fail to learn—from major crises such as wars and pandemics. Explores why certain lessons become deeply institutionalized while others fade, how lessons migrate across domains, and what conditions shape the durability and influence of historical analogies.

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Ongoing Research I

Between Petty and Exemplary Competition: A New Framework for US-China Relations

Develops a novel framework for understanding U.S.–China rivalry by synthesizing relational and exemplarist traditions from both Chinese and Western political thought. Highlights the role of intellectual heritage, political psychology, and strategies of reassurance in shaping patterns of cooperation and competition.

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Ongoing Research II

A Xunzian Theory of International Leadership: Virtue, Ritual, and Order

Advances a new theory of international leadership grounded in the Confucian philosophy of Xunzi. Contrasts this approach with Yan Xuetong's moral realism and dominant Western theories of leadership. Employs a mixed-methods design—combining historical case studies and quantitative analysis—to evaluate how virtue and ritual shape international order.

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Ongoing Research III

Chinese Foreign Policy Texts: A Machine-Learning Approach

Applies machine learning and natural language processing to analyze indigenous Chinese-language texts and trace shifts in Chinese foreign policy discourse. Builds a comprehensive corpus of PRC foreign policy documents and explores the potential for expanding to historical sources to capture deeper patterns of continuity and change.

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Key Collaborators

Distinguished Research Partners

Long-term collaborations with leading scholars in international relations and comparative politics.

Richard Ned Lebow
Professor Emeritus of International Political Theory, King's College London
Google Scholar
Barry Buzan
Emeritus Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics
Google Scholar
Peter J. Katzenstein
Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of International Studies, Cornell University
Personal Website

Research Areas

Chinese Grand Strategy

Grand strategies of imperial China and the PRC, Chinese strategic thinking, intellectual foundations of Chinese strategy

Chinese Foreign Policy

US-China relations, Chinese exceptionalism, deep pluralism and civilizational politics, Confucian foreign policy traditions, Afghanistan, South China Sea and Southeast Asia

International Relations Theory

Moral realism, Confucian IR theory, Chinese approaches to international relations theory and practice

International Relations of East Asia

The tribute system, international relations in historical and contemporary East Asia

Recent Publications

2025

"Amity, Security, Influence: Explaining China's Policy toward Afghanistan, 1949-2024"

Journal of Contemporary China Forthcoming DOI

2025

"A Neighbor of Neighbors: China's Policy toward Afghanistan, 1949-2024"

Palgrave Macmillan August 2025

2024

"Multiple Modernities in Civilizational Perspective: An Assessment of the Global Civilization(s) Initiative"

Co-authored with Barry Buzan • Chinese Journal of International Politics, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 104-126

2023

"China's Counterfactual Roles in the Ukraine War"

Globalizations, Vol. 20, No. 7, pp. 1202-1213

2022

"Justice and International Order: East and West"

Co-authored with Richard Ned Lebow • Oxford University Press

2022

"The Relevance of Deep Pluralism for China's Foreign Policy"

Co-authored with Barry Buzan • Chinese Journal of International Politics, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 246-271

Commentary

OP-ED

"Confucius Says: Get the Definition of US-China 'Competition' Right"

Responsible Statecraft • November 4, 2024

ANALYSIS

"Is China Being Played by North Korea and Russia?"

Responsible Statecraft • November 25, 2024

COMMENTARY

"Sino-Indian Double Rivalry in the Shadow of Trump's Return"

China-India Brief • December 23, 2024

PODCAST

"China-U.S. Relations Should Not Be a Zero-sum Game"

CISS Podcast, Tsinghua University • December 10, 2024

Commentary

Foreign Affairs Foreign Policy Responsible Statecraft East Asian Forum Wire China National Interest

Teaching & Speaking

Current Courses (Yale University)

  • China's International Relations (UG & PG)
  • Chinese Thinking on International Relations (UG & PG)

Courses in preparation for 2025-26 academic year

Recent Speaking Engagements

U.S.-China Strategic Dialogue National Committee on American Foreign Policy, New York (May 2025)
China's Power: Up for Debate Center for Strategic & International Studies (February 2025)
China as a Global Actor Stockholm China Forum 30, Washington DC (November 2024)

Speaking Topics

Chinese Foreign Policy Chinese Grand Strategy US-China Relations South China Sea Afghanistan Policy IR Theory from China The Tribute System Asian International Relations