China and the Global Strategic Balance

摘要

Where does China fit within the global strategic balance, both historically and at present. How important is China in the global power equation. Is China likely to possess sufficient power and standing to affect significantly the future of the strategic balance and, if so, in what ways. Do the other major powers view China's role in the same way that leaders in Peking do. And how will China's gorwing involvement in the international strategic system alter the beliefs and practices espoused by leaders in Peking. To assess these questions, this essay will explore three interrelated themes: First, China's shifting relationship to the Soviet-American power balance since 1949; second, the basic patterns in contemporary Sino-American relations and Sino-Soviet relations, as they contribute to defining China's global role; and third, China's importance in the contemporary international system, as perceived by China and by other major powers. Some general conclusions will be drawn about the likely evolution of the global strategic balance through the remainder of the 1980s.