Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping (International Relations) - Research Paper Example

Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaopings international relations have been shaped by the order and progress of the international system- during Mao’s reign in 1949 to 1950s, China’s main concerns were war and revolution and the People’s Republic of China was opposed to the US led Imperialism by forming alliances with the Soviet Union (Cheng and Zhang 95). This partisan tactic was effective in promoting China’s continued existence, safety, autonomy and freedom. After the People’s Republic of China’s fall out with the Soviet Union, Mao was against both imperialism associated to the US and its supporters together with the Soviet Union led revisionists and as such, China’s international relations were informed by great suspicions and confrontations as opposed to the alliance and relationship.

The China - US relationship at this time worsened as China was isolated and viewed as an erratic and backwards state by the US, unlike the Soviet Union whose revisionist strategy had confirmed it as a mature socialist state. Under these circumstances, China had to revise its “leaning on one side strategy” to “fighting with two fists” as it was opposed to both the US led imperialism and Soviet Union’s revisionism (Zhong 748-749). The US- Soviet Union collaboration led to the deterioration of China’s international relations with the Soviet Union, but with the conflict of interests between the two world powers - the US and Soviet Union, concerning the Vietnam War, China seized the opportunity to adjust its international relations with the US in retaliation to the Soviet Union’s military threat.

This reconciliation was meant to unite all other countries against the Soviet Union’s expansion; enhance China’s international relations with other countries (especially from the west); and cement China’s global position in the international society (Cheng and Zhang 98). Deng’s leadership of China falls partly