Meeting China Halfway: How to Defuse the Emerging US-China Rivalry

400 Pages·2015·2.243 MB·English

by  Lyle Goldstein

Additional Advance Praise for Meeting China Halfway
“Lyle Goldstein’s book on China delivers a bracing synthesis on the dangers the
United States faces and the options it has in the face of China’s military rise. It will
be required reading for Asia specialists.”
—Robert Kaplan, author of Asia’s Cauldron: The South China Sea and the End
of a Stable Pacific and chief geopolitical analyst for Stratfor
“Goldstein proposes a bold call for the US—accommodate China’s interests in Asia
instead of clinging to the status quo. Based on his thorough research in Chinese
writings, Goldstein proposes mutual compromises to set in motion a spiral of coop-
eration. This valuable book will frame the China policy debate for years to come.”
—Susan Shirk, Chair, 21st Century China Program, UC-San Diego

“The most consequential dyad in an increasingly polycentric world is the Sino-
American relationship. But this relationship is strategically and intellectually in irons
and drifting toward possible shipwreck. Goldstein offers a gale of fresh thinking to
redirect it toward mutually advantageous problem solving. He addresses apparently
intractable problems with meticulous research and uncommon ingenuity, drawing
on Chinese as well as American sources. His recommendations balance suggested
actions by both countries. Meeting China Halfway is thus a very thought-provoking
manual for the re-imagination of engagement between America and China. Its pro-
posals are clear and specific and invite those inclined to inaction to come up with
better alternatives.”
—Amb. Chas W. Freeman, Jr. (USFS, Ret.), former assistant secretary of
defense for international security affairs

“If one foresees the future of this key bilateral relationship to be a protracted nego-
tiation, Goldstein’s proposal of spirals of cooperation lays out a plausible way to
take constructive steps. His ideas merit serious thought and discussion.”
—Adm. Joseph Prueher (USN, Ret.), former commander of US Pacific Com-
mand and former ambassador to China
“Creative thinking, innovative ideas… While one may not agree to everything Lyle
Goldstein wrote in this imaginative book, he did a great job in broadening our
scope in thinking about how to build toward a new type of major power relation-
ship between China and the United States. Mutual compromise, mutual adapta-
tion, mutual accommodation, those steps he recommended are not easy for both
sides, but if taken, the end result would be win-win.”
—Wu Xinbo, professor and director, Center for American Studies, Fudan
University
“The downward spiral in US-China relations is the most dangerous trend in inter-
national politics. Preventing it from ending in crisis, miscalculation, and war
should be the highest priority. Lyle Goldstein brings not just punditry but genuine
expertise on China to the problem, and applies impressive energy to finding a way
out. His ambitious exploration of ‘cooperation spirals’ will be controversial, should
provoke sharp debate about options for conflict avoidance, and deserves attention
because it is among the few optimistic approaches that engage the obstacles to peace
rather than dismissing them.”
—Richard Betts, director, Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, Colum-
bia University
“Lyle Goldstein is in a unique positon to witness firsthand in both Washington and
Beijing the rising distrust. He produced this unique book to explore the new paths
of US-China relations leading toward cooperation spirals and avoiding escalation
spirals. A timely and compelling work, it’s a must read for anyone interested in the
most important bilateral relations and great power politics in the 21st century.”
—Suisheng Zhao, director, Center for China-US Cooperation, editor of the
Journal of Contemporary China, University of Denver

“Meeting China Halfway is a serious and thoughtful attempt to guide the US-China
rivalry away from militarized and zero-sum confrontation and toward policies that
would be helpful not only bilaterally but more generally to East Asia and the world.
Goldstein is a senior analyst of Chinese maritime policy who is well known for his
familiarity with Chinese writing on security and environmental issues. He brings
both a wealth of Chinese sourcing to the project and, more importantly, a respect
for China as an intelligent counterpart with distinctive perspectives.”
—Brantly Womack, professor of foreign affairs and C. K. Yen Chair, the Miller
Center at the University of Virginia, author of China among Unequals: Asym-
metric Foreign Relations in Asia
“This book is admirable for both breadth and depth, examining an exhaustive spec-
trum of the issue areas that both drive and condition rivalry between the United
States and China. The author does a remarkable job at driving home his urging for
a ‘cooperation spiral.’ A sensible and practicable guide away from making conflict
a viable choice.”
—Zha Daojiong, professor, School of International Studies, Peking University
“Goldstein takes the debate about US-China relations in a quite new and vitally
important direction. Combining deep scholarship with a keen sense of practical
policy, he offers a detailed plan for the two powers to step back from escalating
rivalry through mutual accommodation. Sooner or later, if America and China are
to stay at peace, they will have to take steps very much like those Goldstein pro-
poses. And the sooner the better.”
—Hugh White, professor of strategic studies, Australian National University
“In this painstakingly researched book, Dr. Goldstein provides valuable insight into
the often overlooked Chinese point of view on a range of important issues facing
the bilateral relationship today. Wherever one falls on the debate over how to
shape US-China relations, this book is an important and unique addition to the
China field, and it should be considered by policymakers in both Washington and
Beijing.”
—Kristen Gunness, senior China policy analyst

“This important new book pulls it all together: the forces that drive the United
States and China toward a war; the facts that reveal that these two nations have
many shared interests and few valid reasons to confront each other; and specific and
valuable suggestions about moves both sides can make to pull away from a major
catastrophic confrontation. Well written and thoroughly documented. A book for
academics, policy makers, and concerned citizens alike.”
—Amitai Etzioni, University Professor, George Washington University, and
author of Security First: For a Muscular, Moral Foreign Policy
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Meeting China halfway
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M e e t i n g C h i n a ha l f w a y
how to Defuse the emerging US-China Rivalry
lyle J. goldstein
Georgetown University Press
Washington, D.C.
© 2015 Georgetown University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Goldstein, Lyle, author.
Meeting China halfway : how to defuse the emerging US-China rivalry / Lyle J. Goldstein.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-62616-160-3 (alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-62616-162-7
1. United States—Foreign relations—China. 2. China—Foreign relations—United
States. 3. United States—Military relations—China. 4. China—Military relations—
United States. 5. United States—Foreign economic relations—China. 6. China—
Foreign economic relations—United States. I. Title.
E183.8.C5G635 2015
327.7305—dc23
2014029714
This book is printed on acid-free paper meeting the requirements of the American
National Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.
16 15 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
First printing
Printed in the United States of America
Jacket design by Faceout Studio.
Image source / akg-images: Chinese soldier in Beijing
Image source / Alamy: Serviceman in dress blues by US flag
ContentS
1 Introduction
Reversing the Escalation Spiral 1
2 Bad Blood
The Legacy of History for US-China Relations 26
3 Imagine
The Taiwan Question and US-China Relations 46
4 Mutually Assured Dependence
Economic Aspects of US-China Relations 79
5 Toxic Embrace
The Environment and US-China Relations 109
6 “South–South” Pivot
The Developing World and US-China Relations 137
7 Persian Spring
The Middle East and US-China Relations 163
8 Bipolarity Reconsidered
The Korean Peninsula and US-China Relations 191
9 Keystone
Japan and US-China Relations 225
10 The New “Fulda Gap”
Southeast Asia and US-China Relations 263