Abstract
The next decade is likely to be the decisive period determining the future course of U.S.-China relations. Unless China and the United States can find ways to block the current drift toward strategic rivalry, tensions will rise. This will make it more difficult to preserve the climate of peace and prosperity that has fostered China’s rise and made East Asia such a dramatic success story. Moreover, if China’s economy continues to surge ahead while the United States remains mired in the struggle to bring its burgeoning budget deficit under control, China could emerge from this coming decade with the largest GDP in the world. This will have both psychological and strategic significance and could roil the waters of the bilateral relationship.
Recent U.S. attention to East Asia, and particularly to Southeast Asia, is part of a coherent policy approach that seeks not to contain China but to restore confidence in a region where the United States, despite its budget difficulties, is truly committed to maintaining a robust presence. Not surprisingly, this flurry of U.S. activity is causing many Chinese to see the United States as challenging China in its own backyard. In reality, the situation is more complex.
Read the article here (subscription required).