Introduction
In the contemporary world, the foreign policy of each country is tied to numerous social factors and relations, such as social, economic, cultural, and political factors, and is not a phenomenon that can be studied in an abstract manner and separately from these influential factors. Consequently, in the field of foreign policy analysis, the factors affecting a country's decision-making and diplomatic behavior have always been analyzed from various angles. Studying and analyzing foreign policy from the perspective of traditional culture is one of these factors under consideration. Although it is not the only influential factor and cannot replace other factors alone, ignoring its impact on the foreign policy of countries is also unwise, because traditional culture and long-standing values that have been institutionalized in a country's history subtly influence people who have grown up in that particular cultural space (a nation's politicians). For this reason, in this research, using documentary studies and library resources and from a structuralist perspective, we have attempted to understand the effects of the main components of China's traditional culture on its diplomatic relations with the world. Also, according to the studies conducted, it seems that the most important concept among them is the concept of "coordination", which is a key keyword in determining the style and context of China's diplomatic interactions with other actors in the international arena.
Research Questions: In this research, we seek an answer to the main question: What is the role of traditional Chinese culture as an influential factor in China's foreign policy? In order to answer this question, two sub-questions will also be examined. First, what components and concepts does traditional Chinese culture have in the field of politics and governance? And second, what are the main foreign policy policies and doctrines influenced by the concepts and contexts of traditional Chinese culture?
Literature Review
The influence of Chinese culture and tradition on China’s foreign policy is an important topic in the study of international relations and foreign policy of this country. In this regard, several scientific articles and research have been published that examine the role of Chinese culture and traditions in shaping the country’s foreign policy. One of the important sources in this field is an article from the Policy Research Institute of Sharif University of Technology that examines China’s foreign policy strategies in the field of culture. This article explains how China uses cultural diplomacy and soft power to improve its international image. It also refers to the role of Confucius Institutes in promoting Chinese culture around the world. Another article, titled The Cultural and Ideological Roots of China’s Foreign Policy, written by Abdullah Qanbarloo, examines the influence of Confucian teachings and modern ideologies such as nationalism and socialism on China’s foreign policy. This article shows how Chinese culture has influenced the country’s security and economic approaches in the international arena. Also, another article in the journal Contemporary Political Essays examines self-reliance, multilateralism, and economism in Chinese foreign policy and analyzes the influence of Confucian culture on these approaches.
Methodology
Documentary and library research is a non-experimental method in which the researcher uses existing sources (printed or digital) to answer research questions without collecting primary data. This method is especially used in the humanities, law, history, and international studies. This method involves collecting, studying, and analyzing existing sources (such as books, articles, reports, historical documents, laws, archives, and other written sources) that are related to the subject under study. In this method, the researcher seeks to discover facts, patterns, and relationships between data through the analysis of existing documents and sources. In this research, the documentary method and the use of library data analysis and electronic documents have been used.
Results
As mentioned at the beginning, the factor of culture increasingly influences the Chinese people and their view of the world and their relationships with others, and in traditional Chinese culture, these schools of thought play a pivotal role. Anyone who is familiar with traditional Chinese culture and philosophical schools clearly knows that one of the most fundamental concepts of Chinese culture, which is addressed in almost all Chinese schools of thought and is the foundation of many other philosophical concepts, is the idea of harmony. Today, it is said that if we could summarize the essence of traditional Chinese culture in one word, it would be harmony. Consequently, this value of harmony plays a positive guiding role in the formulation of China's diplomatic strategies and policies, and believing in its principle of existence leads Chinese people to believe in other principles such as unity and harmony in plurality, coexistence in diversity, and mutually beneficial cooperation.
Discussion
How to cooperate and develop peacefully is the important issue of the present era. China feels that if it wants to become a responsible regional and global power, it cannot follow the old path of the West, which has relied on force for the past few centuries, and must take the path of "peaceful rise". The unique characteristics of this new era have also turned the dream of China's peaceful rise from a possibility to a reality and have given it subjective and objective conditions. In fact, for its desired development, which is the priority of this country, China must seek to create a favorable and tension-free external environment for itself; for this reason, as long as there is no direct foreign invasion into China's territory, military invasion, attempts at revolution, attempts to separate the Nationalists from China, etc., the risk of any military conflict from this country will not go away. The result is that understanding such traditional ideas that affect the decision-making and behavior of the Chinese people seems essential for making appropriate decisions in confronting and cooperating with them, and although this article attempted to address the most fundamental manifestations of the culture of "harmony" in this country's foreign policy, the effects of this philosophical idea in this area do not end there. In addition, traditional Chinese culture and thought are a rich collection of various philosophical concepts, and the idea of "harmony" is only one of these thousands. It is hoped that by opening the way for Iranians to gain a deep and principled understanding of the Chinese nation, attention will also be paid to such influences of Chinese culture and philosophy on the minds and decision-making of this country's politicians.
Conclusion
 According to the studies conducted, contrary to what has not been considered in most research on Chinese foreign policy so far, the country's foreign policy is strongly influenced by its ancient and traditional culture, so that China's foreign policy cannot be analyzed and explained only based on materialistic and economic-oriented concepts and theories. According to the findings of the present study, it can be seen that traditional Chinese culture, from philosophical schools to mythological backgrounds, has played a significant role in shaping Chinese foreign policy. According to the examples mentioned in the research, it can be seen that some of the concepts and macro strategies derived from the traditional and profound culture of the Chinese people have always been constant in the style and method of politics of Chinese rulers and politicians, and specifically the concept of coordination is one of the most important of these concepts that has always been the focus of Chinese policymakers and politicians. Considering the components and cultural characteristics reflected in China's foreign policy, strategies can be adopted in the diplomatic apparatus of the Islamic Republic of Iran that are appropriate and strengthen these components. Similarly, China welcomes the establishment of common ground in cultural fields and provides the necessary foundation for the expansion of public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy by the Islamic Republic of Iran.