Beyond ‘Engagement and Integration’ : An Analysis of the Adjustment of the Obama Administration’s Economic Policies toward China

As part of its new strategy of ＂returning to the Asia-Pacific region＂, the ~Obama administration has adopted some tough economic policies towards China, notably promoting the Trans-Pacific Partnership （TPP） and attempting to establish new rules of international trade and investment aimed at strengthening economic ties with other Westem countries through the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement（TTIP ）,     

FTA Competition and China's Strategic Choices

After the Doha Round of WTO negotiations suffered a deadlock, a flurry of various kinds of regional and bilateral FTAs began appearing. Some of these FTAs, started by top economies, are regional FTA agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership （TPP）, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership （TTIP） and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership （RCEP）. This competition between major economies has become a key trend in global economics. This is not only shaping future global trade but also affecting profits and political statuses.     

陆国忠文英译文

Ever since Sept. 11 events, international situation has undergone remarkable changes. Not only has the United States made major readjustments to its security strategy and foreign policy, but major powers in the world have also adjusted their foreign and security policies in order to adapt to the new development in international situation. In its effort to fight terrorism, the U.S. has to rely heavily on its allies, and in Asia it attaches much importance to the role Japan can play while the latter has given active support to the former in that war. The greater intimacy of the Japan- US relations has become even more outstanding in the recent interrelations of major powers in the Asia- Pacific region. This development and its effect on the international situation deserve to be reckoned with.     

China＇s Diplomacy： New Trends and New Characteristics

In the 60 years since the founding of the People＇s Republic of China, the country has pursued a peace-oriented foreign policy. After the end of the Beijing Olympics in October 2008, China＇s foreign relations began to take on a new look. The country now participates more actively in global and regional issues, forging multilateral and bilateral relationships, and entering into discussions on maritime rights and military strategy. It could be said that China is now showing more initiative, independence, confidence, transparency and a greater sense of responsibility, and strengthening cooperation with all partners. These changes are mainly due to China＇s increasing comprehensive national strength and its need to integrate into the international system in a peaceful and harmonious manner with benefits to all. China has redefined its identity and reassessed its interests. These changes are ongoing, and the nation＇s diplomacy is still not perfect, but the general direction has now been set.     

International Rules Restructuring and Chinas Response

Currently, a new pattern of regional cooperation in the Asia Pacific is in the making in which the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement （TPP）, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement （RCEP） and China-Japan-Korea （CJK） FTA run in parallel. How to balance and handle the relationship among these regional cooperation regimes is of vital importance to Chinas participation in and promotion of regional integration process,     

Cultural Diplomacy and a Harmonious World

The cultural diplomacy of China today has entered into a period of rapid development. Yet there is still much room for improvement in promoting China＇s new diplomatic thinking. In step with China＇s growing economy and increased weight in international affairs, the Chinese government has changed its diplomatic strategy to ＂building a harmonious world.＂ To make this concept more attractive and acceptable to other countries and peoples, China should expand its soft power resources, strengthen international cultural exchanges to draw on the fine achievements of foreign cultures, enhance the influence of Chinese culture worldwide, exploit new channels for international cultural exchanges, develop its cultural industry, and improve its comprehensive power.     

Uncertainties Caused by Violation of Tradition

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has become the only "superpower" in the world, and its global strategy has exerted significant impact on the international situation. This has caught wide attention of scholars and analysts on international relations. Generally speaking, America has kept a relatively stable national strategic objective in the post-Cold War years, namely, to maintain its "leading position in the world" as long as possible. To put it in detail, strategically,     

Strategy of Rebalance to the Asia-Pacific in Obama＇s New Term and US Ideological Export

Since the beginning of his second term, Barack Obama has made some adjustment to US strategy of rebalance to the Asia-Pacific.The adjustment is aimed at adapting the US to the new features in the post-flnancial crisis era, the new developments in the Asia- Pacific situation and the new changes in the overall US strategy, and it also serves US strategic intentions to dominate the regional affairs, acquire and safeguard its own interests and counterbalance China and it also serves US strategic intentions to dominate the regional affairs, acquire and safeguard its own interests and counterbalance China and prevent it from playing a leading role in the region. It is worth noting that the adjusted rebalance strategy features the purposefulness of US ideological export. The impact of the changes in the contents and means of ideological export on the situation in the Asia-Pacific region deserves attention.     

Breaking the Territorial Impasse： A Strategic Priority for China

China has more neighbors than any other country on the Asian Continent and in the Pacific Ocean.Understandably,solving territorial issues remains a pressing item on the agenda of China’s grand strategy.This is especially true since the country began its rapid rise.With the exception of     

Global Governance Reform

President Barack Obama has trumpeted a ＂new era of engagement＂ for the United States. The central components of his strategy include a world order characterized by peaceful accommodation between established and rising powers; the collective management of transnational problems; and the overhaul of international institutions to reflect these shifting power dynamics and the new global agenda. Placing less emphasis than his predecessor on the pursuit of American primacy, Obama envisions--indeed, insists-that other global powers assume new responsibilities. Notwithstanding its multilateral instincts, though, the Obama administration is limited in its practical ability to promote and embrace sweeping reforms to global governance. Therefore, rather than casting its lot entirely with universal organizations like the United Nations, the United States will adopt a pragmatic approach to international cooperation that combines formal institutions with more flexible partnerships to achieve US national interests. The balance sheet for Obama＇s first year in office underscores both the opportunities for and the constraints on global governance reform in the current geopolitical environment.     

Business as Usual

In the years since 9/11, there is no doubt that the emphasis of U.S. global strategy has been on counter-terrorism and the war in Iraq. During this period of time, the U.S. investment in strategic, political and military resources in the Middle East, Iraq, and the war on terror, which are the top priorities on the list of Bush＇s foreign policy, has been far greater than in any other fields. However, there are some in the U.S. who believe that China＇s rise has been much ignored by the U.S., due to the global war on terror （GWOT）, and that America should, in fact, be focusing more on China, not the Middle East. However, as we see it, China has by no means been ignored by the U.S., neither has China＇s rise been the result of U.S. ignorance.     

Recognizing the Global Economic Order’s Restraint on China’s Peaceful Development

China’s economy has soared to be world’s second largest, while its peaceful rise has been increasingly constrained by the global economic order. Regionally, directed by the U.S.’s rebalancing policy in Asia, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) is changing the direction of economic cooperation in Asia.     

The Sustained and Steady Development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization （SCO）, a regional cooperative organization that strands the Eurasian continent, has a vast range of cooperation and is full of vitality. In the eight years since its inception, it has constantly improved its organizational mechanisms and legal development, kept expanding its scope of cooperation, continuously increased its impact and gradually approached a period of mature development. The ＂SCO effect＂ has radiated from Russia and Central Asia to the entire South Asia, the Middle East and even other regions, and SCO has become an important regional organization of cooperation on which the international community is focusing more and more its attention.     

Food Security in the Context of Global Climate Change

The issue of food security is a complex one,and,with the advancement of globalization,it is becoming ever more urgent.And as climate change rises to the top of the international agenda,the securitization of food issues is growing more complex.It has turned the spotlight on the issue of food security and introduces new challenges to every nation.Historically,China has been an agricultural country,and thus has always been concerned about food security,enacting various measures and policies over the years to protect its food supply.However,there are inherent uncertainties and many challenges in this area.To deal with the problem of food security caused by global climate change,China and other nations should rethink how they deal with food security,and establish a comprehensive food security strategy which engages with other strategies in economic development,agriculture and rural development,energy,water security and social development.     

India Steps Up Its Eastward Strategy

India has emerged in recent years as one of the fastest growing economies among developing countries. It has achieved its main targets in the first phase of its Look East Policy in which it aims to play a pre-eminent role in the East and Southeast Asian regions. What are the implications of this strategic expansion for its national strategy？ How will it affect other countries？ How does it impact on Chinese policy？ These questions are worth consideration.     

U.S. Strategic Predicament in Iraq

The Iraq war is the biggest experimental site of Bushism and the success or failure of the war there has a direct bearing on the spread of Bushism as a strategic model. Hence it is necessary to make a systematic assessment of America's situation in Iraq. The current situation shows that the United has got into an unprecedented strategic haziness. In the security field, U.S. forces have dispatched large number of troops to carry out suppression and won frequent victories,but they are suffering stronger resistances. In the realm of political reconstruction, the democratic process in Iraq is now under in accordance with the prescribed order, but religious contradictions are on the rise, and political structures become more fragile. Over economic reconstruction, the United States has kept increasing input and at the same time appealed to the international community for more assistance. Even though Iraq is faced with difficulties in the reconstruction. Therefore, there is a widening disagreement in America over "whether the U.S. is winning or losing the war in Iraq. "① Based on the major views of experts and scholars from both China and overseas,the author thinks that the following three criteria are important for judging whether the United States has succeeded or failed in pursuing its strategy in Iraq: the feasibility of strategic objectives, balance of objectives and means and adaptability of strategic means. Judged by the above-mentioned criteria, the United States is now landing in a strategic predicament in Iraq.     

The Limitations of Obama's Af-Pak Strategy

The ＂Af-Pak Strategy＂ formulated by the Obama administration is characterized by ＂localization＂, ＂integration＂, ＂demilitarization＂ and ＂polygonization＂. It is a rational strategy, but it has three defects： the first is that strong pressure imposed on Pakistan may make the country more unstable and increase the unrest in surrounding areas; the second is that ＂demilitarization＂ will be unable to produce results or to meet the political needs of the Obama administration; the third is that its geopolitical dimension may weaken other countries＇ cooperation and support. China generally supports the strategy, but still has many misgivings.     

The ＂Abe/Aso Regime＂ and Sino-Japanese Relations

Following the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party＇s victory in the December 2012 election, some Japanese analysts pointed out that the new Abe/Aso Govemment would introduce rightist policies, and that as such it would be more difficult for China and Japan to improve their bilateral relations. As expected, in the past six months since its coming to power, the Abe cabinet has vigorously promoted so-called ＂Abe economics＂ and implemented a quantitative easing monetary policy that has caused a drastic depreciation of the Japanese Yen. In order to revise the ＂Constitution of Japan＂, in July 2013 it has been striving to win the election of the Senate. Externally, the new cabinet members have frequently visited foreign countries, implementing a diplomatic strategy of containing and countering China. One of its aims is to completely rid itself of the shackles of World War II and to try to reconstruct powerful military forces. The Diaoyu Islands issue has been used by the Abe cabinet to serve its domestic and foreign policy objectives,     

深刻领会习近平外交思想的理论与实践意义

In the seven decades since its founding,the People’s Republic of China(PRC)has added a glorious chapter to its development epic,and achieved the“two miracles”of rapid economic development and longterm social stability.The Chinese nation is proudly striding on the great road of“becoming strong”and embracing the brilliant prospects of rejuvenation.China has never been closer to the grand goal of national rejuvenation or more influential on the world than it is today,while the attention paid to China by the international community has never been greater.     

Post-9/11 Security in South Asia

The September 11 terrorist attacks and the consequent U.S. actions on terrorism as well as its adjustment of global strategy have exerted an in-depth influence on international and regional security structure. As the neighboring region of Afghanistan--the target state of American war on terror, it is more difficult for South Asia to keep aloof from the affairs. Greater changes have taken place in security situation in the region and in Washington‘s countermeasures as well.……