Twenty-first Century Revival of Confucianism and the Restructuring of Political and Economic Security System in East and Southeast Asia

Principle Investigator：Joyce C. H. Liu, Institute of Social Research and Cultural Studies National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

This research focuses on the political discourses from within China informed by the revival of Chinese Confucianism during the twenty-first century, as well as the establishment of Confucius Institutes around the globe that corresponds to the economic and financial configuration laid out by the One Belt, One Road initiative. Bringing in the critical analysis of the Confucian concepts such as “kingly way,” “tribute system,” and “under the heaven” (tianxia), the research conducts the investigation of how the Confucian discourse transforms the traditional tributary system into the current neoliberal business partnership; how it revises the under-the-heaven view into the market of capital flow; and how it conceals the Kingly Way behind the bilateral relationship between political economy and military affairs. So much so that after the Asia financial crisis, the strong intervention of China changed the contemporary non-traditional security system in Northeast and Southeast Asia, and further strengthened the control over the political structure and the flow of economics through security measures.