Prof. Yan Xuetong

Speaker at the St. Gallen Symposium

Prof. Yan Xuetong is a distinguished Professor at Tsinghua University and the Honorary Dean of the Institute of International Relations (IIR) at Tsinghua University. A central figure in the development of the "Chinese School of International Relations," he is widely recognized as the founder of the international relations theory of moral realism. From 2012 to 2023, Prof. Yan served as the Secretary-General of the World Peace Forum (WPF), the first high-level international security forum initiated by a Chinese non-governmental institution. Established in 2012, the WPF is co-organized by the IIR and the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA). Previously, Prof. Yan served as the Director of the Institute of International Relations at Tsinghua University, where he also held the position of Chief Editor of The Chinese Journal of International Politics. Throughout his impactful career, he has authored numerous works that have profoundly influenced global debates in international relations. From 2014 to 2019, he was the only Chinese political science scholar included in Elsevier's Most Cited Chinese Researchers. His notable books in English include “Ancient Chinese Thought, Modern Chinese Power” and “Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers”, both published by Princeton University Press. His most recent work, “The Essence of Interstate Leadership” (2023), was published by Bristol University Press. Prof. Yan holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.A. in International Politics from the University of International Relations, China, and a B.A. in English from Heilongjiang University in Harbin, China.