June 2009

China's Strategic Culture

A Perspective for the United States

This paper illustrates the key characteristics of Chinese strategic culture - philosophy, history and domestic factors. According to the author, these factors structure, to a remarkable extent, the strategic objectives of China's formal foreign policy. He explains how Chinese strategic interests are defined by modern Chinese pragmatic nationalism, its drive for modernization, and the desire for China to have a more prominent role in the Asian and world communities. He concludes with an analysis of the implications of Chinese strategic culture for the US and offers recommendations for US national security policy.

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