Which Chinese leader, serving as Premier from 1954 to 1976, played a key role in forging foreign policy and represented China at the Bandung Conference?

• A. Deng Xiaoping
• B. Zhou Enlai
• C. Liu Shaoqi
• D. Mao Zedong

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is who served as China’s primary diplomat and shaped its foreign policy during the mid-20th century, including representing the country at a major international gathering.

Zhou Enlai, as Premier from the 1950s through 1976, was the central figure driving China’s foreign relations. He steered diplomacy with major powers and with newly independent nations, shaping a policy of peaceful coexistence and non-interference that framed China’s approach on the world stage. His skills as a diplomat are most clearly demonstrated by his role at the Bandung Conference in 1955, where China’s voice was first effectively presented to a broad bloc of Asian and African nations seeking independence from colonial rule and a more equitable international order. This event helped establish China as a significant player among the Global South and set the tone for its international strategy during that era.

Deng Xiaoping, Mao Zedong, and Liu Shaoqi were all influential leaders, but the combination of serving as Premier through that period and actively representing China at Bandung points to Zhou Enlai.