The Great Wall and the Empty Fortress: China's Search for Security

Abstract

In June 1997 Britain's imperial presence in the Far East will come to an end when Hong Kong reverts to China. China's relations with the West, already strained by differences over human rights, trade policy and arms control issues, will be put to the test. This book examines China's foreign policy, exploring her motives and her search for national security. The authors of this study expect the outcome of this change to depend as much upon the West as on China. They argue that Western leaders are blind to a consistent pattern in China's foreign relations: the pursuit of national interest. Crowded on all sides by powerful rivals and potential foes, China's most pressing security problems are at and within its borders. Nathan and Ross examine China's foreign policy as a search for security with motives similar to those of other states. They assert that to understand what motivates Chinese foreign policy is not to counsel concessions to their demands. Instead, they advise that this understanding should help Western policy makers accommodate China when they should, persuade China when they can, and resist China when they must.

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