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How is the US dealing with the rise of China? Describe the strengths and…
How is the US dealing with the rise of China? Describe the strengths and weaknesses of its approach.
Essay Format
APPROACH: Calling China a "revisionist" state trying to undermine and replace the international order
*looks at the liberal international order
- seen 'competing' with US; challenges US interest, thus international order*
Strengths
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Sovereignty over Taiwan
China's claim over Taiwan and its assertiveness over it leads to US turning to the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act if need be for Taiwan to defend itself military speaking
OVERALL STRENGTH: goes against US' liberal international order of liberal values "protecting one's freedom and individual liberty" therefore presenting China in negative light and having international community side with US
Weaknesses
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China focusing on liberal economic order built on free trade, not trying to interfere with US
OVERALL WEAKNESS:
- US trying to isolate China through global community, e.g. through US media, blaming China for everything, however by being fixated on China forgets about international world order, i.e. China's BRI and having African + Middle Eastern votes to prop up China within UN shows economic, perhaps quasi-alliances forming with the Global South, something US is lacking in that department...
- US is basically harming themselves with false narratives... which is spilling both economically and politically
China's BRI – infrastructure development strategy – towards Asian countries and Middle East and Africa in Global South shows both its economic and peaceful intentions towards respective countries and regions
China is not interested in military competition and doesn't want to get in a military altercation with the US → just wants to focus on its economic growth
Regardless of US path, China will ensure survival of a global liberal trade regime built on FTAs and membership in WTO
*also doesn't want Washington to only look at it, rather would want multipolar system where other(s) challengers are present, forcing US to cooperate with China
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Sino-US relations
China is focused on growing its economy, not interested in superpower, military competition that spans the globe; US is overreacting, just b/c China's position is growing, they're mad; just accept it
China hasn't really been aggressive recently towards its neighbors, kind of like what Mahbubani said
prediction → competition will heat up, but from China's pov, ≠ military;
- China will go to great lengths to demonstrate peaceful intentions to other Asian and African countries, so that China does not become isolated
-- US trying to isolate China through global community, e.g. through US media, blaming China for everything
- ex: having African + Middle Eastern votes to prop up China within UN; having economic and perhaps quasi-alliances with developing world and global south to counteract US suspicion
US-China Maritime War
offense-defense balance → ratio of attacking to defending is in favor of defense; takes way more to attack than to defend
- if defense is always dominant, then wouldn't defense dominate in maritime East Asia?
*- US defending its maritime allies e.g. Japan
maritime dynamics are different than territorial; on land = intrinsic advantage to attacking enemies naval assets head on, onset of conflict (may not materialize at sea)
- organizational mentality of naval militaries that tend towards offense; could make war at sea much more likely than on land
Limitations
looking at ship to ship dynamics (not only that); should look at strategic level, and if both sides have nuclear weapons... can see negative pathways towards nuclear escalation, that can reign people back on "offensive tendencies"
now we're working in nuclear shadow, so any incident at sea can escalate to nuclear level, can deter "offense strategy", and keep defense dominant, in minds of people at sea