ABSTRACT
China’s foreign policy since 1949 has had several rather unique tensions: between practicality and adherence to principles, between militancy and peacefulness, between an ideologically based self-reliance and a necessity-based dependence on other nations and their economies, and between China’s actual and potential capabilities. China’s long and rich history as the world’s oldest continuous civilization has affected its foreign relations in various ways. For centuries, the Chinese empire enjoyed basically unchallenged greatness and self-sufficiency. Nationalism was a natural outgrowth of China’s long and rich historical tradition. It also arose from the injustices China suffered in more recent history-in particular, China’s domination by foreign powers from the nineteenth century until the end of World War II. Information related to leadership and decision making often is kept secret in China. The Ministry of National Defense provides military attaches for Chinese embassies, and its Foreign Affairs Bureau deals with foreign attaches and military visitors.
