Beijing is to abandon Deng Xiaoping's low-profile foreign policy to beat back the challenges of a fast-expanding Washington-led Nato.
The rethink came about since the bombing of the Belgrade Embassy, when leading Politburo members and their advisers discussed how to counter what they regarded as a deliberate trampling of Chinese sovereignty.
'The Politburo Standing Committee has decided that if the Washington-led Nato has its way in Europe, it will next target China,' a diplomatic source in Beijing said.
'The elite body has endorsed a number of measures to seize the initiative through asserting itself in foreign policy.' Among the recommendations given preliminary approval are: Playing a more aggressive role in the United Nations. Sensing that President Bill Clinton is considering using a UN-backed peace plan as a face-saving measure to retreat partially from Yugoslavia, Beijing has insisted Nato ends air strikes before endorsing the scheme.
But should a UN peace-keeping force that meets Beijing's approval be formed, the Jiang leadership has signalled its willingness to dispatch PLA officers.
Analysts said this was a rare gesture of commitment given Beijing's traditional reluctance to join international peace-keeping efforts.
Developing a world-class arsenal, particularly missiles, to counter the 'Nato military machine'. Beijing has served notice on the US that unless Nato reins in its aggressive tendencies, it will delay ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Diplomats said Chinese strategists had engaged in vague talk about the resumption of an active nuclear development programme.
