The singularity of China. The era of Chinese preeminence -- Confucianism -- Concepts of international relations: impartiality or equality? -- Chinese Realpolitik and Sun Tzu's Art of War -- The Kowtow question and the opium war -- The Macartney mission -- The clash of two world orders: The Opium War -- Qiying's diplomacy: soothing the barbarians -- From Preeminence to decline. Wei Yuan's blueprint: Using barbarians against barbarians, learning their techniques -- The erosion of authority: domestic upheavals and the challenge of foreign encroachments -- Managing decline -- The challenge of Japan -- Korea -- The boxer uprising and the new era of warring states -- Mao's continuous revolution: Mao and the great harmony -- Mao and international relations: the empty city stratagem, Chinese deterrence and the quest for psychological advantage -- The continuous revolution and the Chinese people -- Triangular diplomacy and the Korean War. Acheson and the lure of Chinese Titoism -- Kim Il-sung on the outbreak of war -- American intervention: resisting aggression -- Chinese reactions: another approach to deterrence -- Sino-American confrontation -- China confronts both superpowers: the first Taiwan Strait crisis -- Diplomatic interlude with the United States -- Mao, Khrushchev, and the Sino-Soviet split -- The second Taiwan Strait crisis -- A decade of crises: The great leap forward -- The Himalayan border dispute and the 1962 Sino-Indian War -- The cultural revolution -- Was there a lost opportunity? -- The road to reconciliation: The Chinese strategy -- The American strategy -- First steps: clashes at the Ussuri River -- Resumption of relations: first encounters with Mao and Zhou -- Zhou Enlai -- Nixon in China: the meeting with Mao -- The Nixon-Zhou dialogue -- The Shanghai Communiqué -- The aftermath -- The Quasi-Alliance: conversations with Mao: The horizontal line: Chinese approaches to containment -- The impact of Watergate -- The end of the Mao era. The succession crisis -- The fall of Zhou Enlai -- Final meetings with Mao: the swallows and the coming of the storm -- The indestructible Deng. Deng's first return to power -- The death of leaders: Hua Gueofeng -- Deng's ascendance: reform and opening up -- Touching the tiger's buttocks: the third Vietnam War. Vietnam: confounder of great powers -- Deng's foreign policy: dialogue with America and normalization -- Deng's journeys -- Deng's visit to America and the new definition of Alliance -- The third Vietnam War -- Reagan and the advent of normalcy -- Taiwan arms sales and the third Communiqué -- China and the superpowers: the new equilibrium -- Deng's reform program -- Tiananmen. American dilemmas -- The Fang Lizhi controversy -- The 12- and 24-character statements -- What kind of reform? Deng's southern tour -- A roller coaster ride toward another reconciliation: the Jiang Zemin era . China and the disintegrating Soviet Union -- The Clinton administration and China policy -- The third Taiwan Strait crisis -- China's resurgence and Jiang's reflections -- The new millennium. Difference in perspective -- How to define strategic opportunity -- The national destiny debate: the triumphalist view -- Dai Binnguo: a reaffirmation of peaceful rise -- Does history repeat itself? The Crowe memorandum -- Toward a Pacific community?