| Generally speaking, we can explain foreign strategy change from three levels: international environment, domestic environment and decision-makers.I present an explanatory model called two-level perception readjustment for foreign strategy transition. The model presented here implies a research design that is based on a three-step procedure. I first identify a number of sources that are mediated by decision-makers who act within the decision-making process in order to bring about a change in strategy. The sources are divided into two broad categories,following the distinction between international and domestic environments. I adhere to the view that structural conditions can have no independent impact on foreign policy decision-making. In other words,it is not the objective reality that counts, but how this is perceived and reacted to by the decision-makers. The model is therefore based on the assumption that sources of change need to be perceived by decision-makers and trigger alterations in their beliefs in order to have an impact on foreign strategy. The belief change is most likely when decision-makers perceive that their current strategy are incurring painful costs; that a failure to change strategy is virtually certain to result in further painful costs.China's foreign policy was reoriented in 1980s. The main change includes: The first one is strategy aim and task. Before reorientation ,China didn't believe that humanbeing can get a long peace, war will take place one day. So we should avoid war by world revolution. After reorientation, China believes that humanbeing can get a long peace.The aim and task is to build a peaceful, friendly and prosperous world . The second one is strategy making. Before reorientation, ideology played an important role in decision making. After reorientation, national interest plays an important role in decision making. In reform and open-up period, the most important national interest is economic development. The third one is strategy tools. Before reorientation, China's main tools were bilateral diplomacy, alliance diplomacy,self-reliance. After reorientation,China's main tools are multilateral diplomacy, non-alliance diplomacy,opening up. Then I describe and explain China's foreign strategy general change after reform and open -up according to the two-level perception readjustment model. After the 3rd Plenay Session of its 11th Central Committee,the focus of the nationwide work of the Communist Party of China shifted to the socialist modernization drive.To ensure a smooth progress of China's modernization and adapt to the evolving international situation,China's leaders readjust foreign stategy.They rejudged times,international scene and domestic principal contradiction,work emphasis. According to new judgement,China made new national strategy and foreign strategy.The great power strategy and foreign economy stratey change are the most obvious one in foreign policy reorientation in 1980s. In 1970s, China made a strategy to ally the United States against the Soviet Union. In 1980s,China made an independent foreign poliy. The reason is that leaders rejudged security threat and international role. Before reorientation,China made a self-reliance stategy to develop economy.After reorientation, China made an opening-up policy.The main reason is that the leaders repercepted the characteristic of world economy and the relation between china's economy and world economy.The conlusion is that the key to analyse and predict China's foreign policy behavior is China's leaders' two-level perceptions to international and domestic environment, nationl strategy choice. The decision-maker's perception will change according to the change of international and national situations. Comparatively speaking, China's leaders' perception of domestic environment and domestic politics situation is more important.They influence leaders' perception of international environment and foreign strategy making.
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