There is still a tendency beneath the surface for many Chinese to believe that dealings with the outside world are marginal and, if necessary, expendable.
C.
DEFENCE
The vastness of their territory leads the Chinese to believe that they can absorb and wear down any invasion by conventional means. The great efforts and financial resources which they expend on developing their nuclear capability indicate the high priority which they attach to this as the basis for preserving political independence vis-à-vis the major powers. Because of China's preoccupation with internal problems and defending its own territory, military expansion is not a major factor in the Chinese tradition. However, the Chinese display determination to ensure that their interests are respected by neighbouring countries, sometimes to the extent of using force, as on the Indian border in 1962 and the Vietnamese border in 1979.
a.
THE LONG PERSPECTIVE
Because of their sense of history, and also to some extent because communist rulers need pay less regard to short-term political considerations, the Chinese tend to emphasise the long-term effects of decisions and policies. One example of this was their decision in re-establishing relations with Japanese in 1972 to waive all claims for war reparations: the Chinese apparently made this decision of their own accord rather than in response to pressure, in the interest of long-term relations with Japan, and perhaps calculating that the Japanese would thereby feel obliged to display generosity in extending aid to China. A very different example was the Chinese attack on Vietnam in early 1979 following the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia. Here the Chinese apparently calculated that the long-term benefits of demonstrating to the international, community their determination to oppose the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia justified the short-term costs and risks.
e.
FACE
This concept is linked with Confucian ideas of human relationship and behaviour and often finds expression in an oblique approach to dealing wiht contentious questions. In negotiations the Chinese perception of face is evident on the one hand in the importance attached by them to preliminary courtesies designed to establish a favourable general atmosphere and in the attention paid to hospitality, and on the other hand in their propensity to take offence when they feel that difficult questions are being discussed without sufficient regard for their sensitivities.
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