Governance by ritual: Confucian values, historiographical erasure, and strategic inclusion in China

This article examines the enduring role of Confucian ritual ( li 礼) as a normative and strategic mode of governance in China’s domestic and foreign policy. Challenging dominant paradigms in International Relations, it argues that China’s hierarchical decision-making is shaped not only by material interests but by civilizational logics rooted in Confucian values. Drawing on historical sociology, practice theory, and critical geopolitics, the study traces continuities from the imperial tribute system to contemporary initiatives such as the Belt and Road. Through case studies of Xinjiang, Tibet, and Southeast Asia, it demonstrates how ritual practices legitimize asymmetry, enact moral authority ( de 德), and structure inclusion through symbolic performance. Ethnic Chinese communities in Southeast Asia are positioned as cultural intermediaries, whose participation is mediated by ritualized diplomacy and civilizational narratives. The article proposes a conceptual synthesis integrating Tianxia theory, revealing how China’s governance model privileges relational ethics, moral hierarchy, and performative legitimacy over liberal norms of equality. This ritualized logic reframes political participation as symbolic alignment rather than institutional inclusion, with implications for diaspora politics, regional diplomacy, and global order. By foregrounding ritual as both a strategic instrument and a normative architecture, the article contributes to efforts to decolonize IR theory and offers a framework for interpreting China’s behavior through its own philosophical traditions. It calls for interdisciplinary engagement with non-Western political thought to better understand the ethical and symbolic foundations of China’s rise and its vision of world order.