Letters | To understand Chinese foreign policy, remember that China is not a monolith
- Readers discuss different perceptions of Chinese strategic culture, and why English must be taught differently in Hong Kong
To make predictions about China’s foreign policy, it is crucial to understand the country’s political culture. There are two primary cultural characteristics when one thinks of China: the authoritarian culture of the Communist Party and traditional Chinese culture based on Confucianism.
China’s strategic culture is seen as a combination of these two aspects, with varying degrees of emphasis among different thinkers.
Western scholars tend to emphasise the Communist Party’s authoritarian nature when analysing its strategic culture. They view the party’s strategies as prioritising power and realpolitik.
Despite the shift in Chinese leadership from Mao Zedong to Deng and beyond, Western observers see no fundamental political or institutional change in China.