A painting shows Emperor Taizong, second emperor of the Tang dynasty, receiving the Tibetan envoy. Tang diplomats recognised that “virtue” and “righteousness” were not abstract principles, but rather a pragmatic view of how countries pursue their own interests and those they share with others. Photo: Universal History Archive/Getty Images
A painting shows Emperor Taizong, second emperor of the Tang dynasty, receiving the Tibetan envoy. Tang diplomats recognised that “virtue” and “righteousness” were not abstract principles, but rather a pragmatic view of how countries pursue their own interests and those they share with others. Photo: Universal History Archive/Getty Images
Daryl Guppy
Opinion

Opinion

Daryl Guppy

Why Joe Biden’s China policy team should look to the Tang dynasty, not European history

  • When assessing how best to work with China, countries would be better served by historical analogies from Asia than those drawn from European traditions

Daryl Guppy
Daryl Guppy

Updated: 5:12am, 3 Mar, 2021

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A painting shows Emperor Taizong, second emperor of the Tang dynasty, receiving the Tibetan envoy. Tang diplomats recognised that “virtue” and “righteousness” were not abstract principles, but rather a pragmatic view of how countries pursue their own interests and those they share with others. Photo: Universal History Archive/Getty Images
A painting shows Emperor Taizong, second emperor of the Tang dynasty, receiving the Tibetan envoy. Tang diplomats recognised that “virtue” and “righteousness” were not abstract principles, but rather a pragmatic view of how countries pursue their own interests and those they share with others. Photo: Universal History Archive/Getty Images
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