Stratagem Thinking as One of the Main Features of the Present-Day Chinese Foreign Policy

The stratagem thinking is a feature of the Chinese people. It is inherent in the Chinese people from the birth. In ancient times, stratagems were used in the military sphere, however, we can see the implementation of stratagems in various spheres of life, including business and politics. The aim of the study is to identify and demonstrate stratagem thinking in the framework of decision-making regarding foreign policy in modern times. Therefore, tasks include the identification of the use of stratagems in the foreign policy of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, as well as the analysis of Xi Jinping's foreign policy and, based on it, the identification of the use of stratagems. With the help of historical-comparative and historical-typological methods, we come to the results of a study that demonstrate that in modern times Xi Jinping still implements military tactics in his foreign policy, as his predecessors did. In the first chapter, the concept of “stratagem” is analyzed, as well as 36 stratagems are listed, and their application is described. It also shows examples of the use of stratagems in business and domestic policy of the PRC, described in details "the case of Gao Gang." The second chapter describes the actions in the foreign policy of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, and also shows the active use of stratagems in these actions. The third chapter covers modern times, firstly, the periods of Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao’s leadership are covered, then the main part is devoted to Xi Jinping's foreign policy where we come to the main conclusion that in modern times there is still an active use of stratagems.