The 36 Stratagems and China's Foreign Policy — Hei Sing Tso

This episode of The IR thinker explores whether Chinese political leadership can be better understood through the lens of the traditional Chinese stratagems, commonly known as the Thirty-Six Stratagems. The discussion examines how these historical and cultural concepts, expressed in proverbial form, continue to inform patterns of strategic thinking, decision-making and foreign policy in contemporary China, while also considering their limits as an interpretive framework.Hei Sing TsoHei Sing Tso is an independent scholar whose research focuses on traditional Chinese stratagems. Trained in law at the City University of Hong Kong and the University of Edinburgh, and holding a Master of Arts in theology from the University of Chester, he is also a practising lawyer and President of Guiguzi Stratagem Learning, a training firm that teaches Chinese stratagems to government and business clients.Publications:I Ching and 36 Tricks: Your Personal Wisdom ManualInteresting works mentioned during the interview:Thirty-Six StratagemsUnrestricted Warfare: China’s Master Plan to Destroy AmericaHan Feizi: Basic Writings (Translations from the Asian Classics)Content00:00 Introduction02:32 Chinese Stratagems vs. Strategy04:20 How Many People in China Research the Stratagems?05:57 Why Does Hei Sing Tso Research the Stratagems?10:11 The 36 Stratagems in the Present Context12:46 How to Interpret the 36 Stratagems15:52 Six Categories of the 36 Stratagems19:30 How Do Chinese People Learn About the Stratagems?23:20 The Stratagems and Chinese Foreign Policy25:46 Notable Publications About the Stratagems and Chinese Foreign Policy30:16 How to Research and Understand Chinese Political Leadership36:15 Most Common Misunderstandings About China in the West43:14 Key Challenges for Chinese LeadershipFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.