Zhao Tingyang’s “All-under-heaven”: A Philosophical View of the World Order

The article discusses the main provisions of Zhao Tingyang's political philosophy, which developed the “All-Under-Heaven” as a Chinese alternative to the modern world order. It is shown Zhao Tingyang's criticism of Western theories of international relations based on the concept of “national state”. A particular attention is paid to the traditional Chinese understanding of the world order, which makes it possible to understand the origins of the formation of the modern theoretical model of international relations (“All-Under-Heaven”). It is determined that the main theoretical points of Zhao Tingyang's concept are aimed at solving global problems by combining modern conflicting ideological discourses. The proposed “All-Under-Heaven” is a model of world order in which the world will be presented as a whole, regardless of its constituent elements, aimed at developing global public interests and without the priorities of individual national states. The main components of the “All-Under-Heaven” concept are reflected in Zhao Tingyang's political philosophy (geographical concept, the mentality of all people, the ethical and political utopia) and the special place of the concept of “harmony” for a hypothetical transition in international relations from the Westphalian sovereignty to the “All-Under-Heaven system”. This theoretical model is a deeply conservative, anti-Western political program that approves the ontology of coexistence, the need for cooperation and harmony, as well as the interconnection of all participants in the international order.