Chinese strategic thinking under Mao Tse-tung

Abstract

This paper traces the development of the military and political strategies of the Chinese Communist Party, as systematised in Mao Tse-tung's Works and other writings attributed to him and as carried out in practice during the struggle for power in China. It shows how these strategies and tactics are applied, in suitably modified form and at different levels of sophistication, to the conduct of foreign relations by the Chinese People{u2019}s Republic. The author argues that, regardless of changes in the hierarchy, the Peking government's actions abroad will continue to reflect the politico-military approach ascribed to Mao Tse-tung, although much of its past policy has now been repudiated as due to distortion of Maoism by deviationist subordinate leaders. This is a welcome addition to the literature on contemporary China by an author with a wide knowledge of Asian affairs.