China's Cold War Science Diplomacy

During the early decades of the Cold War, the People's Republic of China remained outside much of mainstream international science. Nevertheless, Chinese scientists found alternative channels through which to communicate and interact with counterparts across the world, beyond simple East/West divides. By examining the international activities of elite Chinese scientists, Gordon Barrett demonstrates that these activities were deeply embedded in the Chinese Communist Party's wider efforts to win hearts and minds from the 1940s to the 1970s. Using a wide range of archival material, including declassified documents from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Archive, Barrett provides fresh insights into the relationship between science and foreign relations in the People's Republic of China.

• Helps readers to understand the long-term underpinnings of China's subsequent 'rise' as a superpower in science and technology
• Examines the inner workings of China's foreign affairs system during crucial phases in its development
• For scholars of modern Chinese history, the history of science and Cold War history