U.S. President Obama’s China Policy: a Critical Assessment

Abstract

US China policy has shown remarkable consistency throughout the past quarter century despite the ideological differences of US presidents. US presidents who subscribe to the liberal school of international relations have commonly sought to engage adversaries, to bring about positively change in the adversary. Realists are more likely to try to limit an adversary’s influence by containing its power. Since the early 1990s, US presidents have employed both containment and engagement. The most liberal US president in the past 25 years, Barack Obama initially pursued engagement policy with China. Sensing China’s challenge to US dominance of the Asia-Pacific, President Obama gradually adopted elements of containment policy. This article assesses the Obama administration’s China policy. Specifically, it asks if US President Barack Obama pursued a divergent China policy. It finds that the Obama Administration’s rebalance to the Asia-Pacific policy is consistent with the US China policies of earlier administrations.