Book Talk – China and the Rules Based International Order

Event Description

This talk will present a summary of Potter's new book, China and the Rules-Based International Order: Globalized Populism and Crisis Response (UBC Press, 2026). The work on this book emerged from a concern over increased conflicts between the PRC and the international legal order. The days seem long gone when policies of “reform and opening up” associated with Deng Xiaoping signalled a greater possibility for China’s acceptance of international standards on democracy, open markets, and human rights. In recent years, the PRC regime under Xi Jinping has with increased frequency and intensity challenged the norms and institutions of the international order. In this book, Potter draws on case studies around global challenges of Covid-19, climate change, and involuntary migration to illustrate how China’s changing relationship with the international system echoes discourses on populism. Origins of populism in response to inequality and complexity are evident in China’s evolving relations with international systems on public health, climate, and migration, while populist features of anti-elitism, grievance, and practical resistance are evident in PRC policy and practice on Covid-19, climate, and migration. The book concludes with suggestions for policy responses encouraging a turn away from the limits of populism in lieu of more productive engagement with the international system. This book assesses China’s globalized populism as a complement to national interest analysis in explaining China’s international behaviour. Professor Timothy Cheek, from UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and the Department of History, will be providing a response to Pitman’s presentation.   

For Zoom link, contact Louise Chen at: cals@allard.ubc.ca. 

This event is co-sponsored by the Peter A. Allard School of Law, Centre for Asian Legal Studies and the Centre for Chinese Research at the Institute of Asian Research.

Speaker

Pitman Potter is Emeritus Professor of Law at the University of British Columbia. Potter’s teaching and research have focused on China law and policy on international trade and investment, business regulation, and human rights. Potter is a Member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Potter is a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APFC). He is also an ordained Deacon in the Anglican Church of Canada (Diocese of New Westminster). Potter’s latest book is China and the Rules-Based International Order: Globalized Populism and Crisis Response (UBC Press, 2026).