Abstract
Members of western national security establishments often express wistful admiration for the long-term strategic thinking and planning capacities of their Chinese counterparts. Chinese leaders gladly lean into this stereotype. Yet, the rhetoric that China “plays the long game” does not accord with reality. The notion that modern China has considerably longer time horizons than the United States and its western allies fundamentally misapprehends the complexion of modern China and the factors that shape Chinese policymakers’ decision-making at local, national, and international levels; namely, China’s decentralised structure of governance and policy implementation, the Communist Party of China’s domestic security imperatives, and China’s renewed self-confidence in the international system. This is not to say that Chinese policymakers are incapable of engaging in any long-term thinking, but rather that envisioning the long game is manifestly different to playing the long game. If the rhetoric of China’s farsightedness persists, western foreign policy will continue to proceed from a false premise, dangerously elevating China’s policymakers onto a pedestal and stifling proactive responses.
Published Version
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