Dragon's Rise: A Historical Analysis of China's Bilateral Diplomacy.

摘要

Throughout much of its history, Communist China has shown a distinct preference for bilateral diplomacy in a world largely defined by multilateral diplomacy. Why? Since its founding in 1949, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has been politically dominated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This thesis argues that the CCP, with Mao Zedong at the reigns, has been the driving force behind China's rejection of multilateralism. It further argues that Mao Zedong ruled the party through his influential personality and dominated Chinese foreign policy because of it. China's turbulent and painful history with the West and the acceptance of communist ideology were critical determinants in Mao's rejection of Western diplomacy standards. This thesis concludes that, though multilateralism is indeed on the rise in China, it has been conditional and by no means Western. Furthermore, U.S. policy makers should hold the history of Chinese foreign policy in high regard when considering the formation of U.S. policy on China.