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

one was China’s subsequent move to build up a military
deterrence against Taiwan and accelerate China’s
overall military modernization. 35 Chinese leaders had
no doubt that in order to keep Taiwan in the fold, they
had to hold possible U.S. intervention in check. This
was a huge undertaking, taking into account then U.S.
Defense Secretary William Perry’s reminder in the
aftermath of the crisis: “Beijing should know—and
this (the reinforced U.S. fleet) will remind them—that,
while they are a great military power, that the premier,
the strongest military power, in the Western
Pacific is the United States.” 36 A military buildup to
accomplish this mission thus made China all the more
threatening.
In the meantime, signs of a power transition between
China and the United States had come to the
surface. The most significant one was China’s economic
takeoff (review Figures 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, and 3-4
for the takeoff trends of the Chinese economy in the
early 1990s). 37 In fairness, this economic development
was good to the Chinese. Unfortunately, against the
backdrop of its long-unsettled and recently-turnedconfrontational
relations with the United States and
the West, this rising China generated fear on the other
side of the Pacific. Indeed, a “China threat” debate
quickly emerged to dominate U.S. and Western discussion
of international politics and policy considerations
toward China.
Over the last 15 years, much has been written
about the China threat. 38 Three books are of particular
interest: The Coming Conflict with China by Richard
Bernstein and Ross H. Munro, The Tragedy of Great
Power Politics by John J. Mearsheimer, and The Clash of
Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order by Samuel
P. Huntington.
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