About me
Hello! I'm Dylan Loh (骆明辉), an Associate Professor in the Public Policy and Global Affairs programme at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). I received my PhD in Politics and International Studies from Cambridge University. My primary research focuses on China's foreign policy and diplomacy, with a specific focus on the evolving role of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. My first monograph, China's Rising Foreign Ministry (Stanford University Press, 2024), received an Honorable Mention for the 2025 DPLST Book Prize.
Beyond Chinese international politics, I also work on ASEAN regionalism, small states, and international orders. My peer reviewed publications have appeared in journals such as International Affairs, China Quarterly, Cooperation and Conflict, Australian Journal of International Affairs, International Studies Review and International Relations of Asia Pacific among others.
Current Research Projects
1. China's Discourse power
I'm working on my second monograph centered on China's discourse power (话语权). The book systematically theorizes both the means through which Beijing acquires discourse power and the ways it exercises it. I draw on Bourdieu's sociology as my analytical framework.
2. Conceptions of international order
I am working on several article-length projects that map out non-Western conceptions of international orders and order-making. I pay particular attention to the role of China and small states in this regard.
3. Practices of non-state and contested actors
I am investigating the various ways non-state actors and contested/sub-state actors contest and/or reinforce traditional diplomatic processes. I examine how these entities leverage discourse, cyberspace, and media to challenge (and sometimes amplify) state narratives and policies.