Issue Monday – The U.S.-China Relationship: The Unfolding Strategic Competition?

Randall Schriver meets with Ma Ying-jeou, former President of the Republic of China.

Join us for a public briefing about the U.S.-China relationship and the unfolding strategic competition with the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

The United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) may have arrived at an inflection point in the bilateral relationship. While some analysts continue to believe a cooperative relationship is possible, and that the U.S. and the PRC can form a G-2 type partnership to tackle a range of global challenges, an increasing number of analyst see a very different trajectory. China’s assertive behavior and confrontational rhetoric suggest we are the leading edge in what will be a long and intense strategic competition for dominance over the Pacific Rim. While American strategists Andrew Marshall, Robert Kaplan, and Aaron Friedberg each began foretelling of this great power struggle over a decade ago, recent events seem to underscore this view. In February 2016, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, announced that great power competition has reemerged as the Pentagon’s top priority, and he expects it will define the next 25 years. Later in the month, the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that China seeks hegemony in East Asia.

Are the U.S. and China destined for strategic competition? Can the relationship be managed to ensure the competition is benign, doesn’t result in military conflict, and allows for cooperation to exist where our interests align? Can robust trade and economic ties be sustained in an environment of growing rivalry? What are the key policy choices U.S. decision makers must make to shape the relationship toward its optimal state? Wise and prudent stewardship of a variety of challenges simultaneously will be required for there to be sustained peace and stability. This discussion will examine the current environment and will explore what policy approaches should be adopted by Washington.

About Randall Schriver

Randall Schriver served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs responsible for the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Prior to joining the Asia Bureau, he served for two years as Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

Randall Schriver was the Foreign Policy Director for the Huntsman for President Campaign (2011-12), a foreign policy advisor on the McCain for President Campaign (2008), on the Bush-Cheney Defense Transition Team (2000-01), and worked on the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign as a member of the Asia Policy Team.

Randall Schriver is one of five founding partners of Armitage International LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in international business development and strategies. He is also CEO and President of the Project 2049 Institute, a non-profit research organization dedicated to the study of security trend lines in Asia. He is also a Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

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