RAND_U.S. Strategic Competition with China_report(2021.06.23).pdf

For the first time since contending with the Soviet Union in the Cold War,the United States faces the prospect of a long-term competition with a near-peer great power:the People s Republic of China.1 China s economy has become the second-largest in the world,and its companies compete with U.S.counterparts for markets and resources.The People s Liberation Army(PLA)has become the“pacing threat”to U.S.military operations in Asia,and China s diplomatic influence rivals that of the United States in many parts of the world.The nar-rowing gap in national strength has coincided with an intensification of bilateral disputes over trade,technology transfer,cyber espionage,human rights,and other issues.Even the shared threat of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)has proved an occasion for the two sides to trade accusations and compete for influence.2 Tensions have grown around smoldering hot-spot issues,such as Taiwan and the East and South China Seas.This rapid unraveling of the U.S.-China relationshipwhich had been widely viewed as stable and mutually profitable despite long-standing disputeshas unsettled global politics.Although both capitals appear committed to peacefully resolving their differences,the intensify-ing acrimony and distrust have raised fears among many observers that the two countries could be headed toward confrontation.TIMOTHY R.HEATH U.S.Strategic Competition with ChinaA RAND Research PrimerC O R P O R AT I O NPerspectiveEXPERT INSIGHTS ON A TIMELY POLICY ISSUEJune 2021扫码，海量资源到手1.进群即领福利报告与资源合编，内有近百行业、上万份行研、管理及其他学习资源免费下载；2.每日学习分享6+份精选行研资料；3.群友信息交流，群主免费解答并提供相关行业报告。

报告收集整理于网络，只用于群友学习，请勿他用知识星球 行业与管理资源社群1.无限制下载行业研究报告、咨询公司管理方案，企业运营制度、科技方案与大咖报告等2.每月同步更新3000+份最新行业资源；涵盖科技、金融、教育、互联网、房地产、生物制药、医疗健康等行研报告、科技动态、管理方案；扫码，工作轻松无忧扫一扫二维码或添加客服（号：Teamkon4）免费报告等你取添加好友请备注：姓名+单位+行业或业务领域姓名+单位+行业或业务领域行业与管理资源群业务合作联系：Teamkon2AbbreviationsA2/ADanti-access/area denialADIZAir Defense Identification ZoneAIartificial intelligenceBRIBelt and Road InitiativeCOVID-19coronavirus disease 2019PLAPeoples Liberation ArmyU.S.policymakers continue to grapple with how best to manage a strategic challenge that is strikingly differ-ent from those of the past half century.Unlike the Soviet Union,China is a formidable challenger that has remained a top trading partner despite disputes over tariffs and other issues.China and the United States also occasionally cooperate on shared concerns,such as maritime piracy and research for the COVID-19 pandemic,albeit,perhaps,on a primarily nongovernment basis.3 Moreover,today s com-petition occurs against a backdrop of persistently sluggish growth in the world economy,a fragmenting international order,and significant domestic challenges within both China and the United States.These unusual features of the contemporary situation limit the applicability of lessons that can be applied from past strategic competitions.In the intensely ideological 1950s and 1960s,for example,an immensely prosperous and confident United States feuded with an impoverished,fervently Maoist China primarily over developments in East Asia.Although the two occasionally clashed in violent,large-scale wars,as happened in the Korean War,China s weakness limited its ability to challenge U.S.leadership beyond its immediate periphery.RAND Corporation research over the past few years sheds light on many aspects of the enormously complex and important U.S.-China strategic competition.This Perspective reviews more than 60 RAND reports on relevant topics,primarily from the past five years and extending to the middle of 2020.It covers various issues pertaining to the competition,including China s strategic goals and priorities,the policies and measures through which China attempts to fulfill these goals,how China s actions affect U.S.strategic interests,and what additional steps might further protect U.S.interests.This review also encompasses studies that take a broader view of the com-petitive international environment and consider how the competition might differ from U.S.strategic competition with Russia.This review excluded tactical-level studies that offer detailed comparisons of U.S.and Chinese military capabilities or examine the value of specific assets or sys-tems under certain warfighting conditions.This review first highlights major findings across the RAND studies,then discusses key themes that RAND researchers have found particularly relevant in the context of U.S.-China strategic competition.A concluding section outlines topics for additional research that could further inform the work of strategy and policy development.Major FindingsUsing various methodological approaches and theoretical perspectives,the RAND studies have coalesced around a set of seven relatively consistent findings:31.the high stakes in the United States most important competition2.the central roles of economics,diplomacy,and technology3.the fact that the United States has the upper hand in comprehensive national power,but China is nar-rowing the 。