Getting back on track: China, the United States, and Asia-Pacific security

Abstract

China's previous strict adherence to a policy of peaceful development has been offset in recent years by a more proactive and assertive stance in pursuit of core national interests, creating considerable concern among its regional neighbors. International relations experts in China and elsewhere are divided about whether its future relationship with the United States will be predominately competitive or whether economic interdependence and a common interest in a peaceful and stable Asia-Pacific will encourage a renewed emphasis on cooperation. Support for a cooperative approach is evident on both sides, however. This may be sufficient, with appropriate policies, to reverse the current adversarial trend. Given the huge stake that China, the United States, and the international community have in a workable bilateral relationship, hopes to get it back on track are realistic, but both sides will need to address inconsistencies in their current foreign policies and exercise greater mutual restraint.