Abstract
During the 1970’s and 1980’s, Beijing and Washington shared common strategic purposes. But these shared interests have narrowed in the 1990’s. The Sino-American relationship now involves elements of limited cooperation and growing competition. While there is an important convergence of interests with respect to North Korea and the spread of nuclear weapons, the two governments increasingly diverge on a long list of strategic issues, including: Taiwan; Japan’s regional security role; Iran and Iraq; the expansion of NATO; the strengthening of other US alliances; missile exports; theater and national missile defenses; and the US security role in the Asia-Pacific. This growing ‘strategic competition’ is likely to characterize Sino-American relations for most of the coming decade, irrespective of the new American administration that comes to office in 2001.
