Cautious Cooperation: Chinese Perspectives of U.S.-China Crisis Management

Abstract

Crisis management is but one example of U.S.-China security cooperation that has been a significant factor in U.S. strategic thinking on the Asia-Pacific region. Most English-language studies of U.S.-China crisis management have either been written by or only consider the perspectives of Western academics, and also primarily focus on the potential for aggressive Chinese behavior in the event of a crisis. This article adds to the current literature by showing how Chinese scholars, officials, and analysts view U.S.-China crisis management for military crises in the Asia-Pacific region. Based on an analysis of Chinese news articles, government statements, and the scholarly literature, I argue that Chinese observers view crisis management with the U.S. as a significant aspect of U.S.-China relations, but worry increasing mutual distrust could destabilize the bilateral relationship and the broader regional security environment. This analysis disputes the widely held view that China would not cooperate with the U.S. in the event of a military crisis, demonstrating instead that U.S.-China crisis management is within China’s national security interests.