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The interaction between the means and the goal of Chinese nationalism and the conduct of China's foreign policy is the focus of this study. Given the modern history of foreign aggression against China, generations of Chinese elite naturally see promoting and preserving national independence as the ultimate goal of Chinese nationalism. To obtain this goal, the Chinese state must be able to protect its territorial integrity, promote its image in the international community and strengthen its economy. Among these means of nationalism, economic development is the most important.
In the 1950s, China was the ally of the Soviet Union. The Soviet economic model and assistance provided direct support to China's economic development. However, when this economic relationship became contradictory to the goal of Chinese nationalism, China made a great adjustment to its domestic and foreign policies. This led to the domestic strategy of self-reliance and the international strategy of China's opposition to Soviet and US hegemony in the 1960s and 1970s. At the same time, China actively engaged in building its relations with developing countries. I argue that nationalism played an important role in this process, even in the area of China's aid to developing countries, which is commonly regarded as a strong case for illustrating Chinese internationalism.
Towards the end of the 1970s, it became obvious that the model of self-reliance could not serve the goal of Chinese nationalism well. Again, China made a great adjustment to its domestic and foreign policies. The "open-door" policy, aiming to establish and strengthen China's economic ties with the West, became the main strategy for China's economic development. Although there have been ups and downs in China's relations with the West since the end of the 1970s, China has consistently promoted the "open-door" policy and maintained a good balance between opening to the West and addressing its concern for...