Chinese Policy Priorities and Their Implications for the United States

How the West responds to China's emergence as a great power will go far toward determining the course of world politics. Yet, as Robert Sutter shows, U.S. foreign policy in this vital arena remains remarkably unfocused and uninformed. Preoccupied with domestic imperatives and an intractable debate over China, the U.S. government, media, and public have all but ignored the interests and motivations of China's leaders. The author argues that a balanced understanding of Chinese government priorities will lead to more informed and effective policy. Toward that goal, this pragmatic study examines current Chinese concerns and behavior in arenas of crucial importance to the United States.

Robert G. Sutter teaches regularly at Georgetown and George Washington Universities and at the University of Virginia.