ABSTRACT
The three decades since the reform and opening-up are the third frame of reference for China's foreign relations. Based on considerations from all aspects, it's appropriate to name this period as the "Deng Xiaoping Era". Compared with the first three decades, the "Deng Xiaoping Era" is a period when economic development was regarded as the central task of all areas. Under the collective leadership of Hu Jintao, following Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin, China has entered into a new stage of promoting the great cause of reform and opening-up, as its global influences and external relations constantly grow. Hu Jintao stressed the guidelines of "adhering to the path of peaceful development" and "bearing in mind both internal and external interests", showing a new big power image in both domestic and foreign affairs. Speaking overall, China's foreign relations had been greatly improved both in quantity and in quality when Deng was in power.
