This article examines how liberalism—as a set of ideas governing normative conduct in international affairs—and how Sino-American concepts of liberalism are being understood. Given that liberal scholarship is traditionally associated with values of open internationalism, globalization and free-market principles, it is generally believed that a greater affinity with liberal principles would generate positive relations between China and the rest of the world. This has not happened, particularly in the realm of Sino-US relations. This article contends that at the heart of the tensions and misunderstandings between China and America lies how liberalism is being defined and understood. By looking at the idea of the “separation of powers” and “multilateralism and the rules-based order,” this article seeks to unpack what liberalism means for Beijing and Washington. It argues that while liberalism in the West represents a universal call to remake the world in the West's idealized image, liberalism in China is defined within domestic conditions so as to remake China in an idealized world image.
Benjamin Tze Ern HO (Tue,) studied this question.