The Implications of the Chinese “String of Pearls” for the U.S. Return to Asia Policy: the U.S., China, and India in the Indian Ocean

Abstract

This research asks why the United States has kept a skeptical eye on the Chinese “String of Pearls” strategy and enhanced security cooperation with its allies and partners in South and East Asia while continuing to emphasize the necessity for U.S.-PRC economic and strategic cooperation. To answer this question, this article, first, mainly utilizes a realist theoretical approach to determine how the U.S. has evaluated its own comprehensive national power compared to that of China and what the U.S. strategy has been to cope with the increasing naval power of China in the Indian Ocean. This article then attempts to analyze the implications of the Chinese “String of Pearls” for the U.S. rebalancing to Asia. Finally, this article argues that the different values and different interpretations of democracy, human rights, and sovereignty will, for the time being, be the major areas of conflict among the U.S., China, and other neighboring countries rather than direct conflicts in the Indian/West Pacific Oceans.