Chou En-Lai and the Opening to the West

Abstract

The Chinese initiative to the United States, in 1970-1973, including President Nixon's visit to Peking, may at first glance seem to have been a major change of policy for the Chinese government. Why would China, with apparent suddenness, attempt to resume relations with an archenemy of 25 years? What benefits could be gained from rapprochement with the "center of decadent capitalist imperialism?" Why did the Chinese choose this particular time to make such an overture? An analysis of China's domestic, political, military, and economic situation combined with her view of the international political scene will show that this initiative was both logical and rational in terms of China's perceived national interests. China's foreign policy was driven very much by domestic political concerns and her economic situation. Mao and the political elite -- the veterans of the Long March, personified by Chou En-lai -- felt themselves the stewards of "pure Marxism-Leninism." They had forged their new society at considerable cost in terms of personal sacrifice and economic growth. There was a lack of consensus among political leaders as to the course China should follow in the development and implementation of her ideological and revolutionary ambitions. The Great Proletarian Revolution was a dramatic indication of the wrenching internal political problems that the ruling party was facing in determining the course that China was to follow. The fact that Chou himself had been imprisoned by the Red Guard also points to the depth of this great political struggle for the control of China's destiny. Dr. Kissinger's observation of anti-American posters on display during his second visit to Peking was another indication that the internal debate was ongoing even after Chou had initiated discussions with the United States. This essay reviews the statecraft of Chou En-lai.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 20, 1991
Accession Number
ADA437404

Entities

People

  • Pete Bentley

Organizations

  • National War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Communism
  • Conventional Warfare
  • Domestic
  • Economic Development
  • Foreign Policy
  • Governments
  • Information Operations
  • International Organizations
  • International Trade
  • National Security
  • Public Opinion
  • Revolutions
  • Security
  • United States
  • Ussr
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Asian Economic Studies
  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.