Part 1 of Lecture

Abstract

This lecture focuses on four aspects of China: culture, economy, foreign policy, and relations with neighbors. First, China's civilization gives emphasis on harmony and peace. Second, China’s robust economic growth since 1978, has led to China's resurgence. However, many challenges remain, including the fact that one-tenth of its 1.3 billion people still survive on less than US$1 a day. Third, China's foreign policy seeks a stable international environment for its
development and pursues military build-up as a defensive policy. Lastly, China's relations with its neighbors are based on its membership with the Asian family, respect for ASEAN as driver of dialogue, and opposition to the idea of regional affairs being managed or dominated by big powers.