The CCP’s use and abuse of nationalism

Abstract

The politics of Chinese nationalism, that is, what narrative of China's past and what future it augurs or demands, and how that narrative of the nation motivates and mobilizes foreign policy decision-making in the People's Republic of China (PRC) can be the difference between peace and war. In both East Asian instances, an ever more influential, autonomous and hawkish military, finding itself contained by global liberal forces, became ever more powerful at home and assertive abroad. The struggle over the nature of Chinese nationalism and PRC foreign policy manifestly reflect a politics of struggle over the narrative of Chinese nationalism. The Chinese communist party (CCP) then committed itself to Asian development state growth policies that could raise standards of living and deliver performance legitimacy for the CCP. In the Xi Jinping era, the CCP's use and abuse of nationalism strengthens war-prone forces.