The United States and China in Power Transition - Strategic Studies ...

will take these two great powers extraordinary efforts
to come to terms with the emerging new realities.
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
This analysis covers a wide range of issues related
to and complicated by the ongoing U.S.-China
power transition. It has made an effort to put these
issues in perspective. The intent is to remind U.S., as
well as Chinese, leaders of the complicated nature of
U.S.-China relations under the condition of this power
transition and to encourage them to look at the existing
conflicts in this new light. It is also intended to
persuade the two nations’ leaders to look beyond their
parochial positions and take constructive measures to
manage this complicated process. The following are
some key policy recommendations derived from this
analysis.
• While the United States and China have always
had conflict since the founding of the People’s
Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, U.S. and Chinese
leaders should always bear in mind that
since China embarked on its genuine economic
revolution in 1978, the defining character of the
U.S.-China relationship has become known as a
power transition. The two nations’ policies and
interactions therefore must take this factor into
account.
• Power transition is about the future of international
relations. Historically, systematic
changes were settled on battlefields. In the
current situation, the United States and China
have exchanged goodwill to blaze a new path
for a peaceful transition. However, this is just
the first step in the right direction; as the power
transition process unfolds, there will be new
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