Click here for the entire issue in PDF format
The United States and China’s Regional Policy
Robert Sutter
American specialists and other outside observers seem to have little disagreement over most of the objectives of China’s more active and flexible approach to surrounding countries in recent years. Through adept diplomacy and active high-level leadership interchange, Beijing seeks to reassure its neighbors, promote advantageous economic interchange, stabilize China’s strategic environment, and isolate Taiwan. There remains disagreement over Chinese objectives toward the United States, however. Some specialists say China’s primary long-term regional goal is to push the United States out of Asia and assert regional dominance. Giving U.S. policy a primary role in determining Chinese policy in the region, their analysis forecasts a generally negative outlook for the United States and the region—predicting more friction as China’s rise puts it in conflict with the United States for influence in Asia.
