China's Grand Strategy and the Statecraft of Zhou Enlai
Abstract
Communist China's decision to initiate a dialogue with the capitalist, imperialist United States led to the watershed visit to Beijing of President Nixon and changed the dynamics of international politics. Zhou Enlai, the statesman entrusted by Chairman Mao with carrying out this extraordinary reversal, guided a risky venture to solid success by employing a strategy that focused on the geopolitical factors pushing the two nations together rather than on the differences separating them. Patient, careful diplomacy was the key to Zhou's success in this endeavor, but equally important was his (and Mao's) ability to assess the world in realistic terms and craft means of both deterring the threats they perceived and advancing China's overall interests. This paper examines why Chinese leaders decided to end their nation's isolation from the West, the strategy they designed to achieve this goal, and the successful methods used to carry it out.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA442094
Entities
People
- Wanda L. Nesbitt
Organizations
- National War College