Open AccessThe Trump Administration and the United States’ China Engagement Policy
Author(s) -
Nicholas Khoo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
national security journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2703-1934
pISSN - 2703-1926
DOI - 10.36878/nsj20210317.01
Subject(s) - china , administration (probate law) , foreign policy , political science , politics , identity (music) , power (physics) , state (computer science) , political economy , economics , law , physics , algorithm , quantum mechanics , acoustics , computer science
The longstanding post-1972 consensus supporting a US policy of engagement with China has been eroded by increasing dissatisfaction with developments in China’s domestic and foreign policies. As a consequence, a policy of near full-spectrum US engagement has been replaced by a more conditional posture where conflict increasingly outweighs cooperation. This article describes the relationship’s breakdown during the Trump administration. It then evaluates two major competing explanations for the deterioration. These emphasise either the role of the concept of identity, or aspects of power politics, specifically, state interests and the distribution of capabilities. In a concluding section, the implications of a more confrontational Sino-US relationship for New Zealand are discussed.