Reference News, July 30 report: The U.S. Brookings Institution website published an article titled "Does the U.S. Need to Reflect on Its China Policy?" below is a full excerpt:
In a roundtable review of Melanie Sutter's book "The United States, China, and the Struggle for Control," several experts discussed whether the visions of the U.S. and China for the world order are irreconcilable.
The U.S. Is Undermining the Post-War International Order
● Chen Ling (Associate Professor at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University)
In her new book "The United States, China, and the Struggle for Control," Sutter takes a bold and nuanced position, calling for a re-examination of the traditional perceptions of Chinese affairs among U.S. experts. These experts often assume that China is about to overthrow the post-war order and replace the U.S. as the sole global leader, and that China seeks to achieve this through military expansion. Sutter calls on U.S. policymakers to reassess these views and assumptions.
Sutter describes the most appropriate way to characterize China's historical interaction with the post-war international order as "deviations within acceptable limits." Given that China has benefited from the post-war order and has partially participated in its construction, Sutter believes that the best course of action for the U.S. is to include China in the existing international institutions and negotiate the rules of the game.
Facing globalization and the challenges posed by China, Sutter presents two possibilities: either the U.S. chooses to distance itself from the world it established, or it re-commits to the post-war order and readjusts the distribution of interests and responsibilities. However, the U.S. seems to have made its choice. Driven by the narrative that the U.S. has been exploited by post-war multilateral free trade, the U.S. is gradually abandoning the world it built and increasingly withdrawing from the post-war order.
We have recently seen the U.S. not only trying to isolate itself, but also actively undermining the order that maintained global peace and prosperity over decades after World War II. The U.S. is walking a path where it refuses to cooperate within the order and has turned to indiscriminate protectionism, causing serious instability in its relationships with long-term allies. This may not change the nature of U.S.-China global competition in the coming decades, but it will at least significantly affect the potential support that U.S. allies and partners can provide.
● Ryan Hass (Director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution)
Sutter does not assume that China is determined to engage in a zero-sum game to compete with the U.S. for global leadership, but rather concludes that China's goals are more moderate. Her judgment is that "(China's) actions may challenge American interests, but they do not make them attacks on the post-war order."
At the end of the book, Sutter calls on the U.S. to make more efforts. If the U.S. wants to be a leader, it needs to attract followers. The U.S.'s preoccupation with confronting China is overshadowing its vision for Asia's future and the international order. When the U.S. attacks its allies, excludes international students, and undermines key diplomatic tools such as the U.S. Agency for International Development and Voice of America, it damages its own appeal. Other countries need to be convinced that what is good for the U.S. is also good for them. Sutter warns that if this is not the case, other countries will hedge their bets by getting closer to China.
China Gains Influence by Adhering to Rules
● Jennifer Kavanagh (Senior Research Fellow and Director of Military Analysis at "Defense Priorities")
While Trump's tariffs disrupted the global economy, Beijing has shifted from defense to offense, portraying China as a defender of the global economic order and a stabilizing force against an increasingly unreliable U.S. This is certainly a reversal of the popular Washington narrative - which claims that China is a vulgar disruptor, while the U.S. is the established power.
However, Sutter's book "The United States, China, and the Struggle for Control" convincingly argues that the reality is far more complex than these two simplified narratives.
Sutter challenges the traditional view, proving that the record of the U.S. and China in adhering to the post-war order is not one where the U.S. basically follows the rules, while China mostly violates them. Instead, despite Washington's dominance in establishing many of the most influential post-war institutions, when its leaders see it necessary, the U.S. often resists the existing system. As Sutter points out, "China is not choosing to exit or seek to obstruct or overthrow the institutions of the post-war order, but rather integrating itself into them and striving to gain and exercise influence within the framework of existing rules."
Trump's trade war has undermined the recent prospects of reaching consensus on the elements of a new international order between the U.S. and China, but ultimately, Sutter's work gives readers reason to hope for progress in this area in the future.
U.S. Perceptions of China Should Focus on the Long Term
● Michael E. O'Hanlon (Research Director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution)
This excellent book provides a satisfactory correction to the new U.S. narrative about China (that it is an evil enemy that must be confronted at every turn). Sutter wisely reminds us to be cautious of this line of thinking, although it may be very tempting.
There are still too many people inside and outside the Pentagon who believe that winning a U.S.-China war is an "achievable goal" in any conflict. I agree with Sutter's view that avoiding war and easing tensions should be given absolute priority.
Sutter's approach of not describing China as a country committing genocide or part of an "evil axis" is commendable. This is a country that has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty and avoided large-scale wars for nearly half a century. We need foresight, and she conveys this foresight.
These insights lead Sutter to conclude that when dealing with future relations with China, we must remain calm and flexible, even willing to make compromises - as long as our core principles and interests remain intact. The future of humanity depends on our ability to work together.
● Bruce Jones (Senior Fellow for Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution)
Sutter's book thoughtfully brings us back to the fundamental issues of the international order - not international law, but great power peace.
What does this mean for how we assess China's relationship with the international order? Does Beijing abide by international law or international rules in all circumstances? Sutter's argument - which I strongly agree with - is that this is the wrong standard. The correct standard should be: Are China's policies promoting stability, growth, and cooperation, or the opposite, and how do other countries assess its intentions and outcomes? Time will give the answer. Sutter's outstanding contribution lies in focusing our analysis on the right evaluation criteria.
● Mireya Solis (Director of the Asia Policy Research Center at the Brookings Institution)
This book focuses on the behavior of major powers, but the actions of other actors are also crucial in determining the fate of the international economic system. Although the Trump administration has done everything possible to harass trade partners under the pretense of "cheating" the U.S., Washington cannot achieve industrial revival or defeat China in competition on its own. Major powers will continue to vie for control, but how other countries choose to align - whether to hedge or take their own path - will be indispensable in understanding the ultimate fate of this grand experiment that began 80 years ago. The book's important achievement lies in reminding us to deeply focus on the fate of this international system. (Translated/ Cao Weiguo)
The cover of the book "The United States, China, and the Struggle for Control"
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7532789549920813603/
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