Abstract:

International and Regional Studies with Chinese characteristics is an emerging interdisciplinary field dedicated to serving national strategies, focusing on comprehensive research into the politics, economies, and cultures of countries worldwide. Its formal designation as a first-level discipline in 2022 marks the beginning of its systematic construction. Centered on a “government-industry-university-research-application” collaborative mechanism, it fulfills four key functions: informing policy, advising businesses, enlightening the public, and cultivating talent, all aimed at constructing an autonomous knowledge system with Chinese characteristics. By integrating resources from universities and think tanks, it promotes talent development and theoretical innovation, and emphasizes mutual learning among civilizations and a balanced, pluralistic methodology, with a view to breaking through Western-centric paradigms, supporting the Belt and Road Initiative and national foreign strategies, and contributing Chinese wisdom to global governance.

Key words: International and Regional Studies, Chinese characteristics, discipline construction, collaborative mechanism