Abstract:
The People‘s Republic of China‘s effort to rehabilitate its
post-6/4 image and overcome international isolation was not
without challenges. Internal problems, regime insecurity,
failing socialism, and the fear of anarchy dominated the
context in which leadership of the Communist Party of China
took decisions. Lack of consensus on the policy towards major
powers and institutional rifts complicated the decision-making
process. Against this backdrop, Jiang Zemin‘s astute approach
enabled the Republic to recover from the 1989 and 1996
setbacks, assuage vulnerabilities, and overcome challenges to
its ascent. Its external policy — encompassing
incrementalism, normalisation, partnership and reassurance —
helped the leadership defend itself and maintain regional
stability. Beijing resolved frontier disputes with neighbours,
improved relations with the developed world, opened up its
economy, and maintained peaceful, working relations with the United States. The country became part of multilateral
regional and global institutions that reflected its interest in
working within the global order in the years to come. The
decade of prudent, low-profile approach prepared the PRC for
a greater, effective role in the Twenty-first Century.
