United States Leadership in East Asia and China’s State-by-state Approach to Regional Security

Abstract

China’s rapid growth in comprehensive capabilities has been accompanied by an increasingly serious rise dilemma. The rise dilemma refers to the dilemma a rising great power faces, as it seeks to maintain the growth in comprehensive capabilities and international influence, while simultaneously managing the increasing external security pressures generated by its growth. Provided that the United States continues to lead its East Asian allies through providing security protection and shared norms, China must adopt a state-by-state approach in integrating the tripartite relationship between China, the United States and China’s neighbors into a coherent policy framework. In the context of a state-by-state approach, China needs to employ strategic hedging to maintain stability in China–US strategic relations. At the same time, two dimensions need consideration in determining a specific security policy towards a given neighbor, i.e., whether a state is help-dependent (depending on the US security protection) or self-help (safeguarding its security independently), and the extent to which that a state harbors concerns over China’s rise.