Chinese Foreign Policy

Abstract

CHINESE the one hand there is a widely held belief that the objective of the Chinese Communist leadership is the maximum possible expansion of Chinese power, restrained only by reluctance to become involved in a major war. On this view all the Chinese statements about peaceful co-existence are merely tactical manoeuvres designed to hinder preparations to resist Chinese aggression or to lull prospective victims into a false sense of security. At the other extreme is the view that the Chinese leaders really want peaceful co-existence and that peace could be secured in the Far East if only other countries were willing to co-operate with China and accept Chinese peace proposals. This dispute is so bitter because each side feels that its views are based on clear empirical evidence which the other side refuses to recognise. The view that the Peking government has ambitions of expansion can be supported by the evidence of some Chinese official statements and by the record of some Chinese actions which can be explained by the hypothesis that they form part of an expansionist programme. The view that the Peking government really wants peace can also be supported by Chinese official statements and by the evidence of people who have had direct contacts with the Chinese leadership. Not everyone is skilled in judging the sincerity of people with whom they are talking and there are some people who are able to state a view in which they do not really believe with every appearance of sincerity. All the same, significance must be attached to the evidence of a fairly large sample of observers who have been impressed by the sincerity of the Chinese Communist leaders in desiring peace. The impressions of communists and fellow travellers can be dismissed as valueless but the impressions made by the Chinese leaders on such people as Mr. Nehru or the British Labour Party representatives must be taken very seriously.