US uses 'hedging strategy' to deal with China's rise

By Wang Tian (People's Daily)

17:07, December 26, 2011

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Edited and translated by People's Daily Online

In November 2011, the United States held the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 19th informal leadership meeting in Hawaii. Then, President Barack Obama visited Australia and attended the East Asia Summit, turning into the first U.S. President attending the East Asia Summit. During his visit in the Asia-Pacific region, Obama declared that the United States is a great power of the Pacific and will stay in the Asia-Pacific and play a greater and longer role in shaping the region by adhering to core principles and closely cooperating with its alliances and partners. 

In the political area, the United States is fully strengthening its relations with its old alliances and new partners and actively participating in various multilateral organizations. Hillary Clinton also carried out an “ice-breaking trip” in Burma in December of 2011. 

In the economic area, the United States is greatly promoting the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), trying to build a high quality and disciplined economic and trade structure in the region. 

In the military area, the United States is trying to make its military deployments in the region more comprehensive, flexible and long-lasting, strengthening its military existences in the South East Asia and Australia and improving its alliances and partners' military powers by carrying out trainings and drills. Taking the “Atlantic network” as the model, the United States is trying to build up a “Pacific network” that will accord with its own interests and outlook of values and include various partnerships and organizations. 

China’s rise is one of the main reasons behind the eastward shift of U.S. global strategic focus. Due to the weak U.S. economic recovery and China’s growing economic and political clout, Americans are becoming increasingly worried that a rising China may pose a major threat to their country. 

Obama said during his Asia-Pacific journey that the United States would seek more opportunities for cooperation with China including greater communication between the two militaries to promote understanding and avoid miscalculation. At the same time, he stressed the “importance of upholding international norms.” 

The New York Times recently wrote in an article, “The Obama administration has been an active practitioner of gunboat diplomacy, a term that refers to achieving foreign-policy objectives through vivid displays of naval might.”

The United States has worked to shore up its ties to old Asian allies, like Japan and South Korea, as well as new giants like India. The goal is “to assemble a coalition to counter-balance China’s growing power.”

Joseph S. Nye, a professor at Harvard University, said in a commentary that the United States is “betting” that China’s rise will be peaceful, but no one knows for sure. Therefore, it created a cautious “hedge” strategy.

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