More Dreams in Longer Night: United States China Policy

摘要

Much strategic thinking today is devoted to determining what China's interests are and what role they seek to play internationally in the next 15 years. But an equally fundamental question is as follows: What role does the United States want China to play in the future. Only by answering this question can the United States assess the strategic environment and develop a proactive strategy that builds a desirable relationship with China over the next 15 years. Any other approach will yield the strategic initiative to China and restrict the United States to merely reacting to their strategic purpose or, worst yet, restrict it to reacting to its misinterpretation of China's purpose. This paper investigates the question of what type of power China wants to be, a status-quo power or an anti-status-quo global power. China's purported desires based on observations of its behavior are examined. A review of current U.S. policy toward China and possible policy options provides a context for long-term recommendations.