« Taiwan Journal of Political Science No.21Publish: 2004/09

Did China’s Foreign Policy Really Change in the Post-Cold War Era?

Author: Lang Kao

Abstract / Chinese PDF Download

The purpose of the paper is to examine how Chinese foreign behavior has been affected  by  Deng’s  idea  of  modernization.  In  Deng’s  view,  if  China  wants  to develop  its  backward  economy,  it  urgently  needs  to  maintain  peaceful  and  stable relations  with  major  powers  and  its  neighboring  countries.  Over  the  past  quarter century,  Beijing  has  consistently  followed  Deng’s  idea  of  modernization,  thereby de-escalated  tension  with  its  neighbors  such  as  former  Soviet  Union,  Vietnam,  or India.  More  importantly,  China  established  diplomatic  relations  with  the  United States in 1979. In other words, the purpose of Chinese diplomacy under the rubric of  modernization  is  not  to  expand  influence  abroad  but  to  create  an  environment conducive to domestic economic development. With dramatic changes in international system after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, Beijing seems not to change the way of its foreign policy. It continues to put much attention to its relations with major powers and its neighbors with a hope that the  peaceful  and  stable  situations  surrounding  China  could  be  maintained  without any disturbance. However,  with  the  rise  of  Chinese  power  and  its  economy  entwined  with global economy, Beijing gradually finds it more difficult to deal with the changes in international society. The paper also focuses on Beijing’s relations with Taiwan in recent years and with the United States after 9/11 incident.

Keywords:China、diplomacy、Economic Development、modernization、Taiwan