Great Power Relations

Author: Wang Jisi
Publisher: China CITIC Press

 

The relationship between China and the US is without a doubt the most important bilateral relationship in the world, which is why this topic is a subject of increasing interest for scholars at home and abroad. In particular, recent years have seen the emergence of a variety of issues that have prompted strategists from both countries to set about mapping out the future of China-US relations.

Wang Jisi, director of the Center for International and Strategic Studies at Peking University, delivered his findings in the recently published Great Power Relations. This book illustrates various schools of thought and perspectives on China-US relations while summarizing the historical conflicts between the established and the emerging powers.
 

The main argument of this book is that building a new model of China-US relations is a “three-step project” involving domestic politics, diplomacy and third parties. The political, economic and social development of these two countries will determine the future path. Only by expanding common ground and cautiously solving disputes can conflicts be avoided and the new paradigm for China-US relations be advanced.
 

The central point of this book, however, is the discussion on how “all roads lead to Rome”—the building of the new type of China-US great powers relations. It proposes two key questions: First, the US is expected to respect China’s sovereignty while China should, in turn, refrain from challenging the fundamental international political and economic order advocated by the US. Second, the new types of conflicts—in the form of cyber warfare, space war, arms race and so on—must be avoided at all costs. Strategic dialogues and effective mechanisms should be in place to prevent those scenarios from happening.
 

In conclusion, this book is distinctly significant in two respects. First, it adopts a strategic viewpoint to comprehensively interpret the past, present and future of China-US relations. The second is its practical implications in the real world that help us to identify the real international situation of our times. Great Power Relations not only dissects the present China-US relations but also offers a roadmap to the future.

 

Huang Rihan is from the Institute of International Relations at Huaqiao University in Xiamen, Fujian Province.