| Abstract: | This paper first examines the relationship of the components of communicative competence to culture, pointing out that strategic competence, unlike sociolinguistic or discourse competence, is not culture\|specific and therefore is supposed to play a more crucial role in intercultural communication. And then it discusses research on strategic competence, particularly the contributions it can make to our efforts to understand and improve intercultural communication. Some questions that further research should address are also raised. Finally it stresses the special significance of exploring strategic competence for studying intercultural communication and indicates implications that the exploration may have for second\| and foreign\|language teaching. |
