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

Specifically, they pressed the Chinese government to
take stronger action against the United States. They
wanted the Chinese government to set rules for the
United States to follow, get the United States to pay for
its bad behavior, and to feel the pain of punishment.
Some even asked the Chinese government to prepare
a showdown with the United States on the arms sales
to Taiwan issue in the foreseeable future, at the most,
in 10 years. 208
Adding fuel to fire, the Chinese government released
a high-profile speech by China’s State Councilor
and its current foreign policy helmsman, Dai
Bingguo (戴秉国), in which he spelled out for the first
time China’s core interests in three broad areas:
• The fundamentals of the Chinese political system
and political stability, namely the Communist
Party leadership, socialist system, and the
socialist development with Chinese characteristics;
• China’s sovereignty security, territorial integrity,
and national unity; and,
• Basic requirements for China’s sustainable economic
development. 209
Compared with the enduring core interests of the
United States, which are national security, economic
prosperity, and the preservation of liberty, 210 China’s
core interests are short-term-based. The first item is in
essence about the CCP’s regime survival. The second
item lacks clarity. Does it include the disputed territories?
Put in a different way, Dai’s statement is like
a note to the United States: do not mess with China’s
government, its territorial disputes, and China’s resources
supply. One can clearly hear a defiant tone in
Dai’s statement. The conflicts of interest and the down-
179