Professors Michael Beckley and Arne Westad discuss U.S.-China relations focusing on security competition, avoiding conflict, and deterring Chinese aggression towards Taiwan. They explore historical parallels and the importance of strategic communication to prevent large-scale conflict.
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Sequencing Strategy with China
Prioritize building military deterrence in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.
Pair this with diplomatic talks and economic measures to signal clear costs and benefits to China.
insights INSIGHT
Balancing Trade with China
China's economic growth needs to be accommodated, but within a fair framework for global trade.
Negotiate tariffs and trade terms to ensure a balanced approach that benefits both the US and China.
insights INSIGHT
Chinese Mistrust of the US
China views US actions with mistrust, seeing them as containment efforts.
They dislike US influence, territorial divisions, economic dominance, and democratic values in neighboring countries.
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On today’s episode, Matt Gluck, Research Fellow at Lawfare, spoke with Michael Beckley, Associate Professor of Political Science at Tufts, and Arne Westad, the Elihu Professor of History at Yale.
They discussed Beckley’s and Westad’s articles in Foreign Affairs on the best path forward for the U.S.-China strategic relationship—in the economic and military contexts. Beckley argues that in the short term, the U.S. should focus on winning its security competition with China, rather than significant engagement, to prevent conflict. Westad compares the current moment to the period preceding World War I. He cautions that the U.S. and China should maintain strategic communication and avoid an overly narrow focus on competition to stave off large-scale conflict.
They broke down the authors’ arguments and where they agree and disagree. Does U.S. engagement lower the temperature in the relationship? Will entrenched economic interests move the countries closer to conflict? How can the U.S. credibly deter China from invading Taiwan without provoking Beijing?
The Lawfare Podcast