The Crisis in US-China Bilateral Security Relations

Abstract

Although the US and Chinese security relationship has been tense for over three decades, the last three years has seen it slide into acute crisis. The two countries are in a full-blown security dilemma, going after each other's “core interests,” using their alliances and partnerships to attempt to weaken or restrain the other, and pushing aside confidence-building measures designed to help manage the competitive relationship. Before deriving new policy measures that can foster habits of cooperation between the two countries, the United States and China must create a new strategic consensus around which the bilateral security relationship can be defined.