On China (中国论-基辛格)

1OnChinaCHAPTER1-TheSingularityofChinaCHAPTER2-TheKowtowQuestionandtheOpiumWarCHAPTER3-FromPreeminencetoDeclineCHAPTER4-Mao’sContinuousRevolutionCHAPTER5-TriangularDiplomacyandtheKoreanWarCHAPTER6-ChinaConfrontsBothSuperpowersCHAPTER7-ADecadeofCrisesCHAPTER8-TheRoadtoReconciliationCHAPTER9-ResumptionofRelations:FirstEncounterswithMaoandZhouCHAPTER10-TheQuasi-Alliance:ConversationswithMaoCHAPTER11-TheEndoftheMaoEraCHAPTER12-TheIndestructibleDengCHAPTER13-“TouchingtheTiger’sButtocks”TheThirdVietnamWarCHAPTER14-ReaganandtheAdventofNormalcyCHAPTER15-TiananmenCHAPTER16-WhatKindofReform?Deng’sSouthernTourCHAPTER17-ARollerCoasterRideTowardAnotherReconciliationTheJiangCHAPTER18-TheNewMillennium2PrefaceFORTYYEARSAGOalmosttotheday,PresidentRichardNixondidmethehonorofsendingmetoBeijingtoreestablishcontactwithacountrycentraltothehistoryofAsiawithwhichAmericahadhadnohigh-levelcontactforovertwentyyears.TheAmericanmotivefortheopeningwastoputbeforeourpeopleavisionofpeacetranscendingthetravailoftheVietnamWarandtheominousvistasoftheColdWar.China,thoughtechnicallyanallyoftheSovietUnion,wasinquestofmaneuveringroomtoresistathreatenedattackfromMoscow.IntheintervalIhavebeentoChinamorethanfiftytimes.Likemanyvisitorsoverthecenturies,IhavecometoadmiretheChinesepeople,theirendurance,theirsubtlety,theirfamilysense,andtheculturetheyrepresent.Atthesametime,allmylifeIhavereflectedonthebuildingofpeace,largelyfromanAmericanperspective.Ihavehadthegoodluckofbeingabletopursuethesetwostrandsofthinkingsimultaneouslyasaseniorofficial,asacarrierofmessages,andasascholar.Thisbookisaneffort,basedinpartonconversationswithChineseleaders,toexplaintheconceptualwaytheChinesethinkaboutproblemsofpeaceandwarandinternationalorder,anditsrelationshiptothemorepragmatic,case-by-caseAmericanapproach.Differenthistoriesandculturesproduceoccasionallydivergentconclusions.IdonotalwaysagreewiththeChineseperspective,norwilleveryreader.Butitisnecessarytounderstandit,sinceChinawillplaysuchabigroleintheworldthatisemerginginthetwenty-firstcentury.Sincemyfirstvisit,Chinahasbecomeaneconomicsuperpowerandamajorfactorinshapingtheglobalpoliticalorder.TheUnitedStateshasprevailedintheColdWar.TherelationshipbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStateshasbecomeacentralelementinthequestforworldpeaceandglobalwell-being.EightAmericanpresidentsandfourgenerationsofChineseleadershavemanagedthisdelicaterelationshipinanastonishinglyconsistentmanner,consideringthedifferenceinstartingpoints.Bothsideshaverefusedtopermithistoriclegaciesordifferentconceptionsofdomesticordertointerrupttheiressentiallycooperativerelationship.Ithasbeenacomplexjourney,forbothsocietiesbelievetheyrepresentuniquevalues.Americanexceptionalismismissionary.ItholdsthattheUnitedStateshasanobligationtospreaditsvaluestoeverypartoftheworld.China’sexceptionalismiscultural.Chinadoesnotproselytize;itdoesnotclaimthatitscontemporaryinstitutionsarerelevantoutsideChina.ButitistheheiroftheMiddleKingdomtradition,whichformallygradedallotherstatesasvariouslevelsoftributariesbasedontheirapproximationtoChineseculturalandpoliticalforms;inotherwords,akindofculturaluniversality.AprimaryfocusofthisbookistheinteractionbetweenChineseandAmericanleaderssincethePeople’sRepublicofChinawasfoundedin1949.Bothinandoutofgovernment,IhavekeptrecordsofmyconversationswithfourgenerationsofChineseleadersandhavedrawnonthemasaprimarysourceinwritingthisbook.Thisbookcouldnothavebeenwrittenwithoutthededicatedandableassistanceofassociatesandoffriendswhopermittedmetoimposeonthemforhelp.SchuylerSchoutenwasindispensable.HecametomyattentioneightyearsagowhenProfessorJohnGaddisofYalerecommendedhimasoneofhisableststudents.WhenIstartedthisprojectIaskedhimtotakeatwo-monthleavefromhislawfirm.Hedidso,andintheprocessbecamesoinvolvedthathesawtheeffortthroughtoitsendayearlater.Schuylerundertookmuchofthebasicresearch.HehelpedwiththetranslationofChinesetextsandevenmorewithpenetratingtheimplicationsofsomeofthesubtlerones.Hewasindefatigableduringtheeditingandproofreadingphase.Ihaveneverhadabetterresearchassociateandveryrarelyoneasgood.IthasbeenmygoodfortunetohaveStephanieJunger-Moatworkwithmeforadecadeacrossthegamutofmyactivities.Shewaswhatinbaseballtheywouldcalltheessentialutilityplayer.Shedidresearchandsomeediting,andwastheprincipalliaisonwiththepublisher.Shecheckedalltheendnotes.Shehelpedcoordinatethetypingandneverhesitatedtopitchinwhendeadlinesapproached.Hercrucialcontributionwasreinforcedbyhercharmanddiplomaticskill.3HarryEvanseditedWhiteHouseYearsthirtyyearsago.Hepermittedmetoimposeonourfriendshiptogoovertheentiremanuscript.Hiseditorialandstructuralsuggestionswerenumerousandwise.TheresaAmanteaandJodyWilliamstypedthemanuscriptmanytimesoverandspentmanyeveningsandweekendshelpingmeetdeadlines.Theirgoodcheer,efficiency,andsharpeyefordetailwerevital.StapletonRoy,formerambassadortoChinaanddistinguishedChinascholar;WinstonLord,myassociateduringtheopeningtoChinaandlaterambassadortoChina;andDickViets,myliteraryexecutor,readseveralchaptersandmadeinsightfulcomments.JonVandenHeuvelprovidedhelpfulresearcho