ABSTRACT
The involvement of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in UN peace-keeping operations (UNPKO) serves as an excellent case to examine and gauge the extent to which China has integrated itself into the international community since the advent of the reform and opening up policies initiated by Deng Xiaoping. China’s traumatic encounter with the Western-dominated international order in the 19th century—often known as the ‘hundred years of humiliation’—resulted in a strong sense of suspicion towards any perceived encroachments on Chinese sovereignty, and indeed any form of intrusion on other states’ sovereign prerogatives by outside powers. During the Maoist era, the Chinese government’s world view was deeply coloured by realist thinking, which essentially posited a hostile international realm in which self-help was the most efficacious means by which to maintain the survival of the state. This perspective was undoubtedly strengthened by the fact that China had confronted both the USA and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) during this time.
