Focusing on the international and defense dimensions of U.S.-China competition, the authors of this report make three contributions. First, they intend this report to serve as a planning tool by positing international and defense strategies that could allow China to outcompete the United States. Second, they mean to educate readers on Chinese strategy and policy processes. Third, the authors seek to encourage greater public debate about the nature and stakes of the competition.

As presented by the authors, China's international strategy aims to establish the country's primacy in the Asia-Pacific region and leadership of the international order. The international strategy presented seeks to achieve this end state through peaceful methods, although it does not rule out the possibilities of militarized crises or even conflicts of a limited scope, such as proxy wars. The core of the proposed international strategy is a reliance on China's economic prowess and diplomatic maneuver to put Beijing into a position of advantage from which it cannot be dislodged by the United States. A complementary defense strategy would aim to constrain Washington's ability to forestall or prevent its own eclipse by building a superior Chinese military that renders the risks of military conflict intolerably high. A major Chinese military responsibility would be to support diplomatic efforts to shape a favorable international environment by building strong security ties with client states and discrediting or weakening the appeal of the United States as an alternative.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Introduction

Chapter Two

Context: Strategy, Frameworks, and Processes for Achieving the China Dream

Chapter Three

Context: International Framework, End State, and Directives

Chapter Four

Context: Defense Framework, End State, and Directives

Chapter Five

Chinese Perspectives on Competition with the United States

Chapter Six

China's Desired End States for U.S. Competition

Chapter Seven

China's International Strategy for U.S. Competition

Chapter Eight

China's Defense Strategy for U.S. Competition

Chapter Nine

Vulnerabilities in China's Approach to U.S. Strategic Competition

Chapter Ten

Conclusions and Implications

Appendix

Sample Subobjectives for the International Dimension of China's Strategy for U.S. Competition