China Containment Policy
Encyclopedia
The China Containment Policy is a current political belief that U.S. foreign policy strives to diminish the economic and political growth of the People’s Republic of China. The term, which primarily originates from political analysts in China, harks of the U.S. containment
policy against the former Soviet Union
during the Cold War
.
Taken to its national conclusion, proponents of this realist theory claim the U.S. will or needs to seek a divided and weak China to continue its hegemony
in Asia
. It is thought this shall be accomplished by establishing military, economic, and diplomatic ties to countries adjacent to China's borders. If so, American proponents of this policy espouse U.S. military activities in Afghanistan
, Uzbekistan
, Tajikistan
, South Korea
, and Japan
are only U.S. intentions to diminish the P.R.C. regional power. Additionally, U.S. efforts to improve relations with India
and Vietnam
would also be examples of the U.S. utilizing its economic influence to "box in" the P.R.C.
This version of containment should not be confused with the previous versions of the theory initially proposed by George Kennan
in the 1940s to counter the Comintern
. This original version, which later expanded to include the P.R.C. after 1949, included shutting off all trade, cultural and educational exchanges, and political recognition to the P.R.C. starting with a formal denormalization of diplomatic relations. It may also be noted that the question of the legitimacy of the P.R.C. versus the Republic of China
(Taiwan) as the rightful representatives of the Chinese people under international law and as recognized by the United Nations
was within this context.
, and its stance on the Taiwan question.
Chinese political commentators often portray this attitude as current U.S. foreign policy. This opinion is often reported in mainstream Chinese media
outlets as a primary goal of U.S. policy. Former U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice
denied there was such a policy.
The 2006 U.S. National Security Strategy
states that China has 'the greatest potential of any nation to militarily compete with the US and field disruptive military technologies that over time offset traditional US advantages.' The document continues by stating that China must be more open in reporting its military expenditures and refrain from "locking up" energy supplies by continuing to obtain energy contracts with disreputable regimes in Africa
and Central Asia
. The policy assumes that measures should be taken against China to prevent it from seeking hegemony in the Asia-Pacific
region and/or worldwide.
US – Japan – Australia: Labeled by the Asian media as a "little NATO against China" or the new "triple alliance", or "the axis of democracy" by the Economist
. Condoleezza Rice’s visit to Australia
in March 2006 for the "trilateral security forum" with the Japanese foreign minister Taro Aso
and his Australian counterpart Alexander Downer
.
Japan - Australia: On March 15, 2007 both nations signed a strategic military partnership agreement, which analysts believe is aimed at alienating China.
India: China is India's largest trading partner. Bush’s visit to India is seen also as an attempt to boost bilateral trade and keep some influence by offering India something that only US can provide, high nuclear technology. China is the United's States fifth-largest trading partner in terms of exports, while India ranks twenty-fourth.
Japan: Although the economy of the United States is 4.2 times larger than China’s, China has already overtaken the US as Japan’s largest trading partner. China gives imports from Japan preference and priority over the US which has been an important factor in the recovery of Japan's for a decade stagnant economy.
Containment
Containment was a United States policy using military, economic, and diplomatic strategies to stall the spread of communism, enhance America’s security and influence abroad, and prevent a "domino effect". A component of the Cold War, this policy was a response to a series of moves by the Soviet...
policy against the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Taken to its national conclusion, proponents of this realist theory claim the U.S. will or needs to seek a divided and weak China to continue its hegemony
Hegemony
Hegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...
in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. It is thought this shall be accomplished by establishing military, economic, and diplomatic ties to countries adjacent to China's borders. If so, American proponents of this policy espouse U.S. military activities in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
are only U.S. intentions to diminish the P.R.C. regional power. Additionally, U.S. efforts to improve relations with India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
would also be examples of the U.S. utilizing its economic influence to "box in" the P.R.C.
This version of containment should not be confused with the previous versions of the theory initially proposed by George Kennan
George F. Kennan
George Frost Kennan was an American adviser, diplomat, political scientist and historian, best known as "the father of containment" and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War...
in the 1940s to counter the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
. This original version, which later expanded to include the P.R.C. after 1949, included shutting off all trade, cultural and educational exchanges, and political recognition to the P.R.C. starting with a formal denormalization of diplomatic relations. It may also be noted that the question of the legitimacy of the P.R.C. versus the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(Taiwan) as the rightful representatives of the Chinese people under international law and as recognized by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
was within this context.
Justification
Chinese analysts put forward as justification for the policy deriving from some U.S. concerns of China's rapidly expanding military. Additionally, China feels the U.S. has indicted the P.R.C. for its ever-growing trade deficit with the United States, its human rights recordHuman rights in the People's Republic of China
Human rights in the People's Republic of China are a matter of dispute between the Chinese government, other countries, international NGOs, and dissidents inside the country. Organizations such as the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have accused the Chinese...
, and its stance on the Taiwan question.
Chinese political commentators often portray this attitude as current U.S. foreign policy. This opinion is often reported in mainstream Chinese media
Media of the People's Republic of China
Media of the People's Republic of China primarily consists of television, newspapers, radio, and magazines. Since 2000, the Internet has also emerged as an important communications medium....
outlets as a primary goal of U.S. policy. Former U.S. Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
denied there was such a policy.
The 2006 U.S. National Security Strategy
National Security Strategy of the United States
The National Security Strategy is a document prepared periodically by the executive branch of the government of the United States for Congress which outlines the major national security concerns of the United States and how the administration plans to deal with them. The legal foundation for the...
states that China has 'the greatest potential of any nation to militarily compete with the US and field disruptive military technologies that over time offset traditional US advantages.' The document continues by stating that China must be more open in reporting its military expenditures and refrain from "locking up" energy supplies by continuing to obtain energy contracts with disreputable regimes in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. The policy assumes that measures should be taken against China to prevent it from seeking hegemony in the Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific or Asia Pacific is the part of the world in or near the Western Pacific Ocean...
region and/or worldwide.
Strategic alliances
US – India: It is assumed was established or reconfirmed during Bush’s visit to India in March 2006. The media speculated about the US using India to contain China, claims that the Indian officials publicly denied.US – Japan – Australia: Labeled by the Asian media as a "little NATO against China" or the new "triple alliance", or "the axis of democracy" by the Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
. Condoleezza Rice’s visit to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in March 2006 for the "trilateral security forum" with the Japanese foreign minister Taro Aso
Taro Aso
was the 92nd Prime Minister of Japan serving from September 2008 to September 2009, and was defeated in the August 2009 election.He has served in the House of Representatives since 1979. He was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2007, and was Secretary-General of the LDP briefly in 2007 and...
and his Australian counterpart Alexander Downer
Alexander Downer
Alexander John Gosse Downer is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was Foreign Minister of Australia from March 1996 to December 2007, the longest-serving in Australian history...
.
Japan - Australia: On March 15, 2007 both nations signed a strategic military partnership agreement, which analysts believe is aimed at alienating China.
Challenges
Australia: Australia has a growing dependency on China’s market. Its mining industry is booming thanks to China. Ahead of the visit by Condoleezza Rice and her warning about China becoming a "negative force" Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Alexander Downer, warned that Australia does not agree with a policy of containment of China. Australia has recently initiated an annual security dialogue with China.India: China is India's largest trading partner. Bush’s visit to India is seen also as an attempt to boost bilateral trade and keep some influence by offering India something that only US can provide, high nuclear technology. China is the United's States fifth-largest trading partner in terms of exports, while India ranks twenty-fourth.
Japan: Although the economy of the United States is 4.2 times larger than China’s, China has already overtaken the US as Japan’s largest trading partner. China gives imports from Japan preference and priority over the US which has been an important factor in the recovery of Japan's for a decade stagnant economy.