ABSTRACT
In the history of the People’s Republic of China, which begins in October 1949, the year 1989 marks a caesura. It is of critical importance as the country lived through social unrest that led to the imposition of the martial law in Tibet, in March; China’s reconciliation with the USSR in May; and events surrounding the Tiananmen Square confrontation that culminated June. This chapter analyzes China’s reaction to the US invasion of Panama in a period when international forces were starting to adjust to the new world order. It will examine how these landmark events in China, especially the Tiananmen Square episode, influenced China’s official discourse as expressed at the United Nations Security Council, following the invasion of Panama. How did the Chinese media present the invasion, and what importance did they give to it? Were they simply repeating the government line, which was to accuse the United States of hegemony in pursuing its goal to possess the Panama Canal? Was the shockwave that swept through the Eastern bloc reflected in the Chinese news? This chapter will also look at China’s own links with the Panama Canal and the importance of the seaway for SinoAmerican relations.
