ABSTRACT

This chapter provides an alternative perspective and interpretation of policy change in the People's Republic of China (PRC) so that analysts and government officials will have a firmer basis for anticipating future developments in Chinese foreign policy. It examines changes and trends in PRC domestic policy since 1970 and draws on the relationship between domestic and foreign policy. Comprehensive central planning and the need for strong central control have figured prominently in recent discussions concerning China's quest for independence and security. The chapter explores the developments of 1970-71 and their immediate consequences in four policy areas: political and organizational, economic, cultural, and military. Authoritative statements about personnel and organizational issues reaffirmed or expanded upon policies incorporated into the 1970-71 Program. Domestic critics initially included those displaced by the Cultural Revolution who had vested interests in restoring elements of the pre-1966 system.