초록/요약

The discourses and policies about China have changed for the past 12 years. With the argument of co-evolution, the Obama administration has engaged with China in systemic competition. The ultimate goal was to make China a responsible stakeholder for the U.S.-led international order. However, with the empowerment of Xi Jinping, the relative decline of the U.S., and emerging of Trump, the identity of China as a communist authoritarian nation has been reinforced. The Trump administration has started the confrontation with China with a ‘conflict of interest’ in the economy, yet it swiftly exacerbated systematic and ideological competition. President Biden has inaugurated in the situation that the confrontational discourses against China have dominated in the U.S. Even though Biden and other high officials have echoed antagonistic discourses by showing their perceptions to China in light of competition between democracy vs. autocracy, they have introduced far more sophisticated and well-calibrated comprehensive China policy. The administration emphasized liberal international order as a way to legitimate its policy. It has also brought the balance of power mechanism in the Indo-Pacific region to secure its security and military advantages. Finally, the Biden administration has tried to establish a sophisticated form of multilateral mechanisms in the area. The future of US-China rivalry will be a ‘marathon.’ The end state will be decided by who gets global leadership. If the U.S. overcomes its internal difficulties, it will have a chance to lead the world again. On the other hand, no matter how hard China endeavors for the world, it is impossible to elicit voluntary cooperation from the countries because of its inherent limitation as an authoritarian state.