| Summary/Abstract |
BY THE EARLY TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, the United States and China found themselves strategically and economically interconnected at the global level with elements of military-political rivalry. Chinese diplomacy carefully avoided direct confrontation with America on the world arena,1 that probably meant that Beijing was biding its time to multiply its political might (very much in line with Deng Xiaoping's taoguang yanghui tactics - "conceal our capabilities, avoid the limelight"). Much of what China is doing - building up its military budget, undertaking military modernization, seeking access to natural resources outside its territory, etc. - was interpreted as a movement in this direction.
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