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Communist China's policy toward the Afro-Asian nations

University of British Columbia

This study is an attempt to discover the deeper motives behind Communist China's present policy toward the Afro-Asian nations. From the outset it was assumed that this policy was entirely motivated by ideological considerations. As I progressed with the research, however, I became increasingly aware that ideology was not the only generating power behind Peking's policy, but that there was instead a more profound force at work. This so-called force, or power, or motive, whatever the case may be, has its roots deeply buried in Chinese history and I have chosen to call it China's traditionally legitimate aspirations. Although, in historic China, these aspirations were largely culturally inspired, they have recently been obscured by the tenets of a revolutionary doctrine called Communism. Historically, China has exercised a dominating role in Southeast Asia, for which the main source of inspiration and justification lay in the Confucian system of government. This position of hegemony was challenged in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by the western powers who had little understanding of China's traditional role. With the founding of the Communist regime, in 1949, however, China once again entered upon a period of strong central authority and was thus in a position to re-assert herself and pursue a policy directed toward a revival of China's traditional aspirations. The structure of this paper consists of five main parts. The first two sections are devoted to an analysis of the ideological framework within which China's policy operates, as well as the actual strategy which has evolved from it. The emphasis here has been placed on what I have termed the "Asianization" of Communism and the pragmatic approach taken by the Chinese Communists on the implementation of their long-term aims. The final three sections are devoted to a discussion of the major instruments which Peking has at its disposal for the penetration of Southeast Asia. Two of these instruments, the overseas Chinese and the Communist parties, are, in my opinion, of singular importance and deserve separate treatment, for both these instruments are bound to play a determining role in the future development of Southeast Asian societies. Although the topic presupposes a discussion of both the Asian and African nations, the emphasis in this study, has been on the former. The African orientation of Communist China's policy is of a very recent nature and consequently there is only scant information available on the subject. However, Africa does form an integral part in Peking's ideology and overall strategy toward the "colonial and semi-colonial,, countries and this aspect has been treated accordingly. With respect to the Asian countries, I have preoccupied myself only with those in which Peking's influence has been and is most notable. For this reason, only passing reference has been made to the Philippines and Japan because, for the moment, these countries appear to be outside the scope of China's sphere of activity. This study is based on such major sources as Mao Tse-tung's theoretical works, and recently published works by Barnett and Brimmell. Much of the basic information derived from these sources, has been supplemented, however, by material from such publications as Survey of the Mainland China Press' and Peking Review. These last two sources were of great value in supplying illustrative material of a wide scope and have been used quite extensively.

Text

2011-11-21

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/39183

Political Science

University of British Columbia

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