Origin of Mao Zedong's Diplomatic Strategy:A Dilemma of Bureaucratic Politics and the Mass Line

The diplomatic strategy of Mao Zedong, one of the first generation leaders of the new China, has greatly reflected Chinese tradition and reality. Meanwhile, his diplomacy has also left a lot of inspiration and legacies for today's China. With the reform and opening-up policy, China has become more closely related with the world, and her international status has been greatly improved. It is of great significance to have a review over the diplomatic strategy and diplomatic experience of the first generation leaders. Such a review has far-reaching effects on our understanding and interpretation of today's domestic and international diplomacy, and its future development as well. This article, based on Mao Zedong's dilemma in choosing a bureaucratic politics or mass line for New China’s revolution and modernization, attempts to analyze how the relation between the two affected Mao Zedong’s diplomatic strategies in different periods. It is hoped that this paper will provide a new perspective for the controversy over the success and failure of Mao Zedong's diplomatic strategy, and for studies on domestic and international politics focus.