U.S. policymakers are being urged to adopt bold policy initiatives to maintain a strategic edge in the global competition with China.
The shift is critical because China is leveraging its economic size and centralized policy capacity to expand its influence. Failure to respond could result in the U.S. losing its pre-eminent global position.
Analysts from the Brookings Institution said that the capacity for the U.S. to maintain its advantage is diminishing. This perspective contrasts with official rhetoric from Beijing, where President Xi Jinping has described a "new positioning" of ties with the U.S. [1].
According to a Reuters report dated May 14, 2024 [1], President Xi said this positioning envisages cooperation with measured competition. While Beijing promotes this balanced approach, U.S. strategic circles emphasize the need for more aggressive measures to close local knowledge gaps, and enhance competitive capabilities.
These discussions are framed around the needs of the U.S. presidential administration from 2025 onward. The goal is to ensure that the U.S. does not fall behind as China utilizes its state-led model to secure strategic advantages across various international sectors.
Experts said that the U.S. must modernize its approach to strategic competition. This includes improving how the government gathers and uses local knowledge to better compete with China's centralized decision-making process.
President Xi's vision of "measured competition" suggests a willingness to cooperate in some areas while competing in others. However, the Brookings analysis said that without bold action, the U.S. risks a steady decline in its relative power.
“The United States risks losing the competition with China; its capacity to maintain its edge is diminishing.”
The tension between the Brookings analysis and President Xi's rhetoric highlights a fundamental disagreement on the nature of the U.S.-China relationship. While China presents a framework of 'measured competition' to maintain stability, U.S. strategists view the current trajectory as a zero-sum struggle for global primacy. This suggests that future U.S. administrations will likely prioritize structural policy shifts over diplomatic cooperation to prevent a permanent shift in the global balance of power.
