The article examines the main principles and directions of the Qing China's foreign policy during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735-1796). The author makes an attempt to comprehend and analyze a number of the actions undertaken by the Qing Empire within the framework of its foreign policy from the point of traditional worldview and the concept of the "Chinese world order". The Qianlong Emperor’s foreign policy and his military operations not only changed the configuration of international relations in East and Central Asia, but also influenced the overall geopolitical situation in the region. During his reign, using military force, the Qing Empire significantly broadened its borders, annexed vast territories of the Dzungar Khanate and East Turkestan, and sought to impose vassal dependence on many of its neighbors. The state expanded and strengthened, but at the same time, signs of a deep socio-economic crisis began to come forth in China itself, with grave consequences looming up, especially in the context of the growing Western expansion, which the Qianlong Emperor and his court did not take into account. The ruling elite could not accept the fact that the world situation had radically changed, and the traditional attitude towards other peoples as “barbarians” combined with the lack of foreign policy information led to their inability to assess objectively the actual balance of power in the world.