Understanding the intangible in international relations: The cultural dimension of China’s integration with the international community

One of the striking features of Wang Gungwu’s scholarship is his global perspective. As an accomplished historian of China and of Southeast Asia, an astute observer of contemporary Chinese and Southeast Asian politics, and a leading expert on the Chinese overseas, he has always sought to understand his subjects of study in a global context. Although he does not consciously seek to address the particular theoretical interests and concerns of international relations scholars, his work has much to say about the central questions of international relations (IR) theory today.