China's Fundamental Interests Of China-us Relations (1989-2001)

The international paten has a profound effect on international relations. But as foreign policies are natural extension of domestic ones, pursuing the biggest national interests is the essential goal of one government's foreign policies, to probe into one nation's interests, especially its national fundamental interests is beneficial to understand and judge the future trend of the relations with another country.With an angle of China's national fundamental interests, this article intends to retrospect its influence on Sino-U.S relations since 1989,to summarize experience, to find regular factors and to put forward some instructive advice.By analyzing the Three Duties putting forward in the 80s of the 20th ceutury, in the preface of the article, the author believe that during these days even in the long future, China's national fundamental interests lie in the following three aspects: to maintain stability, to develop economy and to keep unification. The article includes three main parts, and each part discusses the relation between one of China's national fundamental interests and the U.S.A. Each part adopts the following analytic pattern: first it explain one of China's national fundamental interests, then demonstrates the American influence on it with historical facts since 1989,at last either expounds Chinese government's corresponding measures or forecast the trend of Sino-US relation under the influence of this interest.At last the author drew the following conclusions: to maintain stability, to develop economy and to keep unification are all China's national fundamental interests, but they are not parallel. First, in the theoretical view, the surviving interests should exist before the developing ones. The latter interests can be taken into account until the former ones are met, i.e. development bases on survival. On the other hand, the growth of economy is of great help to maintain stability and keep unification. So while dealing with the foreign affairs, especially involving the U.S.A, the Chinese government should put economic interest in an advantageous position. But the premise is that the American actions don't threat the bottom lines of China's stability and unification. What are the bottom lines? The author thinks the bottom line of the domestic stability in China is that China's basic political and economic regimes can't be threatened. The other bottom line is that territories and territorial waters can't be separated from the country. If either of them is challenged, it will rise into the most important interest, and the Chinese government will try to keep it at any loss, even destroying its economic interest. At the end of the article, the author put forward some advice on how to deal with Sino-U.S relations.