ABSTRACT
The assessment of the international consequences of perestroika and the Chinese reforms will be limited to a general outline of the problems involved, with a special emphasis on their influence on the international activities of the respective countries. The global influence of the Chinese reforms mainly concerns the practice and policy of the socialist countries, including the USSR, which in 1985 undertook its own reform program. As the PRC acquires greater economic and technological potential, however, perhaps China's global role will increase by the beginning of the next century. The transformation of different aspects of Soviet life can be better understood by drawing comparisons with Chinese reforms. The Soviets have put forward the theory of the primacy of civilizational and humanitarian interests over class interests, first and foremost to secure the survival of humankind. Continuation of positive tendencies in the Soviet relationship with the PRC depends upon many factors, first and foremost on the domestic situations in both countries.
