CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES: RESPONSIBLE STAKEHOLDER OR EMERGING THREAT?

The election campaign produced nary a word about China. Rest assured, once the new administration is in place, we will be hearing a great deal about the "China challenge." The central question has not changed: whether to engage China on equal terms, or treat it as a potentially hostile competitor. Judging from the substantial number of Clinton-era appointees on President-elect Barack Obama's foreign-policy team, the answer will be engagement. Nevertheless, how engagement is practiced-whether it is a philosophical commitment or simply a reversible tactic, for instance-compels attention to the fundamental guidelines of China policy. Here, then, are thoughts about the guideline. Adapted from the source document.