Between Contention and Engagement: US response to China’s rise in the Obama and Trump administrations

Abstract

The article aims to assess how the United States has managed the rise of China over the last decade. This is achieved first by addressing the question in a theoretical framework and, second, by making an empirical account on the issue. Therefore, the article contrasts mainly realist and liberal accounts on contention and engagement and applies them to Obama and Trump administration's foreign policies to China. To do that, the paper analyzes the National Security Strategies of both administrations, using the method of content analysis. The research's main result is that the rise of China and the threats to the United States hegemony have been major concerns since the Obama administration. What has changed with Trump in power, though, is the means employed to address the problem, with a shift from engagement rhetoric to an open call for contention. Besides, the paper evidences how this shift is accompanied by a change in the conditions for China’s rise.
 
 
 
 Recebido em: fevereiro/2019.
 Aprovado em: setembro/2019.

China’s Rise to Changes in Southeast Asia’s Political Landscape

“…In recent years, with the rapid and prosperous economic and social development of China, the momentum of its rise has become increasingly obvious. Although China's economic rise has provided certain opportunities for survival and social development for Southeast Asian countries and the people of China, it has provided more challenges for the Southeast Asian countries and people of China, especially in terms of geography and politics [5][6]. Properly handling the current potential conflicts between China and Southeast Asia and resolving the current contradictions in the development of socialism between China and Southeast Asia are crucial to promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.…”