ABSTRACT
More than being reactive and xenophobic, Chinese patriotic nationalism is profoundly irredentist. Until the nineteenth century, China was the hegemonic power in Asia, without peer or rival. Traditionally, the Chinese Empire was conceived to comprise China Proper, Outer China, and the tributary territories. As for Tibet, Chinese maintain that Tibet has been an inseparable part of China from the time of the Yuan dynasty. Irredentism is the desire by an existing state to retrieve lost territories and ethnic kin. Irredentist nationalism serves multiple purposes, only one of which is to provide China with needed land and resources, including energy. There are reasons to believe that irredentism is an integral component of the Communist Party's promotion of patriotic nationalism. The Communist Party is confronted with daunting domestic problems in an environment of ideological uncertainty. Irredentist nationalism serves multiple purposes, only one of which is to provide China with needed land and resources, including energy.
