Introduction

The field of foreign affairs provides an example of changes that have been taking place more broadly in the structure of Chinese policy-making. Even though ultimate decision-making power on foreign as well as domestic policies is highly concentrated —with one individual, Deng Xiaoping, playing a pivotal role—among the political elite, the basis for making major policy decisions has been considerably broadened. The policy-making process is more systematic, regularized, and rationalized than it has been for many years. The direct input of China's working-level experts and specialists into the policy process clearly is increasing, and there is a growing "foreign affairs community" in Peking, in which both official and academic. Specialists on particular foreign policy issues are linked through numerous personal and institutional contacts. Some of the developments are relatively new, and the structure of the policy-making process is evolving.