Is China's diplomacy a "tributary system"? America's alliance network is more like it.

If we are to identify which country's diplomacy resembles the "tributary system," America’s alliance framework comes much closer to this model.

The tributary system manifests as a dominant great power at the top, with several subordinate tributary states beneath it. These states obtain rewards, investiture, and protection from the hegemon by acknowledging vassalage, paying tribute, and obeying the suzerain’s commands.

America’s alliance framework fits this pattern almost perfectly: the United States packages its military umbrella, market access, diplomatic support, and technological investment as distributable "rewards" or commodities;

Allies such as Japan, South Korea, and Europe acknowledge America’s global leadership and American values by surrendering portions of their sovereignty (e.g., permitting U.S. military bases, aligning in sanctions against third parties outside the bloc), signing exclusive treaties, and paying "protection fees" (increased defense spending, purchasing weapons).

This interaction model between the U.S. and its allies actually reflects what American academia proposed toward the end of the Cold War—“benevolent hegemony”—advocating that the U.S. should maintain order through its overwhelming military, economic, and cultural advantages by promoting American-style democracy, human rights, and free trade, claiming this hegemony serves the overall interests of the international community rather than mere expansion.

However, this act has become increasingly unsustainable since Trump took office. Trump discarded the façade of “benevolence” and bluntly told allies: “The U.S. will no longer ‘pay’—allies must now ‘feed’ the U.S.” That means either significantly increasing defense spending, or making unilateral concessions in trade agreements (buying massive amounts of American goods or investing in the U.S.)—this is America’s latest version of the “tributary system.”

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870867711034635/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.