Sinan Chu

Dr. Sinan Chu is a Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg, specializing in Global Governance, International Relations (IR), and Chinese ethnic politics. He currently serves as Principal Investigator for the DFG-funded project 'Intellectual Contestation over China’s Multiethnic Regime' (2025–2027) and Editor of the Journal of Current Chinese Affairs. His research focuses on legitimacy in global governance, non-Western IR theories, and nationalism in China.

• Current Affiliations: GIGA, DFG projects, Leibniz-funded initiatives
• Education: PhD in Political Science (Syracuse University, 2019), M.A. in Political Science & International Relations (Syracuse University, 2010), B.A. in International Politics (Nanjing University, 2007)

Research Interests

Dr. Chu’s work bridges comparative politics and global governance, particularly analyzing how legitimacy perceptions shape multilateral institutions under multipolarity. He critically engages with Chinese IR theories like Tianxia-ism and explores the discourse around China’s multiethnic policies. His embedded observer methodology for studying non-Western perspectives challenges conventional IR frameworks.

Key Contributions

Recent publications include analyses of global public evaluations of the WTO and G20, rethinking non-Western IR interlocutors, and critiques of Tianxia-ism. He has led projects on multipolarity’s impact on global governance legitimacy and dissociation processes in international institutions.