Dragon Fire

Briefing

Modern China grew out of years of colonization, civil war and internal conflict. Mao Zedong’s Communist Party took power in 1949. But it was not until 1979, after Mao’s disastrous economic and social policies, that genuine reform began. Western democracies fashionably courted the one-party state with encouragement and investment. The China boom years were temporarily halted by the 1989 Tiananmen Square killings, which underlined China’s intention to remain an authoritarian power. The Chinese leadership believed that political reform would lead to uncontrollable violence. The army and police maintained a repressive presence in Tibet. Missile, aircraft and naval development was aimed primarily at deterring Taiwan from declaring independence. China’s stated long-term goal was to become the leading regional power in Asia. The return of Hong Kong in 1997 was hailed as a victory over years of humiliation by foreign powers. By the end of the twentieth century, China was jostling with the United States, wooing and threatening South-East Asian neighbours, and warily watching Japan. Then, after India’s nuclear tests in 1998, China was forced to begin changing focus.