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PacNet #37 – Look What China Could Do If It Changed Tactics

When President Jiang Zemin rose to power in 1989, Beijing had several foreign policy objectives: stabilize relations with the United States following the June 4 Tiananmen tragedy; secure the peaceful return of Hong Kong; promote Taiwan’s reunification with the mainland; expand China’s involvement in the international economy; and create a more tranquil regional environment through improved relations with Japan, Russia, the divided Korea Peninsula, India, and Southeast Asian nations.