Does China Think America Is Using a 'Wedge Strategy'? (Lyle J. Goldstein, The National Interest)

The permanent court of arbitration (PCA) ruling from The Hague earlier in July once again has directed the world’s attention to a set of rocks and reefs in the South China Sea. One of the valuable roles of this ruling is to reinforce the notion that these features are indeed “rocks” and not “islands” that would have been entitled to an exclusive economic zone (EEZ). In theory, the resulting negotiations should now be considerably simpler.

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/does-china-think-america-using-wedge-strategy-17152

Could This Be China's Panama Canal? (Lyle J. Goldstein, The National Interest)

President Obama’s trip to Vietnam was ostensibly focused on the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in the Asia-Pacific region. However, it is quite certain that the visit had a powerful subtext: strengthening the partnership between Washington and Hanoi to offset Beijing’s aggressive approach to the South China Sea. The Chinese reef reclamation projects resulted in shiny, new and large airstrips coupled apparently with deep water berths for ships have set the whole region on edge

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/could-be-chinas-panama-canal-16389

Does China Need Allies? (Lyle J. Goldstein, The National Interest)

At a conference in China recently, a Chinese scholar seated next to me made the following ominous comment: “The United States is building up its alliances to surround and contain China. But China can also build up alliances to counter the United States.” Many Western strategists are, of course, dismissive of such warnings, on account of Beijing’s long-touted conviction that alliances are outdated and irrelevant. To boot, those states closest to Beijing, such as Pakistan, Laos and North Korea, are not particularly powerful and may form more of a burden than a benefit to Chinese foreign policy. But as a recent article on this forum illustrates, some major Chinese academic strategists continue to advocate for a change in China’s approach.

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Can China's 'Dreadnought' Tip the Naval Balance? (Lyle J. Goldstein, The National Interest)

As the U.S.-China naval rivalry unfolds across the Asia-Pacific, Washington sails with significant confidence through these turbulent waters. After all, the U.S. Navy still far exceeds the Chinese Navy in gross tonnage, retains the advantage in key domains such as submarine quieting, has a huge network of bases, and possesses loyal, highly motivated and strong allies to boot. Still, as this Dragon Eye column has pointed out in several instances, Beijing also has some reasons for confidence in this nascent rivalry.

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/can-chinas-dreadnought-tip-the-naval-balance-15539

Does China Think America Is in Decline? (Lyle J. Goldstein, The National Interest)

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/does-china-think-america-decline-15042