SILK ROAD ECONOMIC BELT OF THE 21ST CENTURY AS A MANIFISTATION OF CHINESE STRATEGIC CULTURE

The article is devoted to the Chinese strategic culture and its manifestation in the implementation of the "one belt, one road" initiative as one of the most important directions of the modern foreign policy of the People's Republic of China. Strategic culture is defined as an appeal to ways of thinking and acting when dealing with issues of the use of force (including military) and security, rooted in the national historical experience, mentality and traditions of the people, reflecting the behavior of the state in critical situations. China's strategic culture is a body of elements of traditional Chinese culture that are applied in relations with other countries, which in reality is expressed in the struggle for the "historical" primacy and "central position" of China in the world. The desire to "revive the great Chinese nation" and return the country's "well-deserved" world championship is being implemented in the "One Belt - One Road " project, which combines the "land" and "sea" silk road. The initiative is a veiled external expansion of Chinese influence, as well as a tool of " soft power" of the ideological components inherent in Chinese strategic culture, extrapolating to the countries of the Eurasian continent. China is showing its new role in the international arena: China is becoming a different type of global hegemon, a "good" growing power, a reliable partner that leads humanity to a mutually beneficial community of common destiny. The "age of humiliation" gave rise to the desire of the Chinese people to restore global status and power, as evidenced by the slogans "revival of the great Chinese nation", "creation of a community of common destiny of humanity" led by the PRC, and the implementation of the "Chinese dream" of world domination. Confucius and Sun Tzu emphasized in their teachings that strategic defense, Alliance building, and the restrained use of force for clearly defined political purposes were preferred at the national level. The elements of Chinese philosophy clearly reflect the features of China's strategic culture.