The Logical Contradictions of the US Indo-Pacific Strategy and China’s Response

Abstract

Since the Biden administration took office, China–US relations have been undergoing major adjustments. The US has strategically accelerated the implementation of the Indo-Pacific Strategy and related containment mechanisms against China, building multilateral networks led by the US to contain China on multiple fronts. As China–US strategic rivalry keeps intensifying, China faces increasingly complex peripheral strategic environment, regional economic cooperation and security situation. Through the analysis of the intentions and plans of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, it is found that there is a huge mismatch between the cost that the US can afford to adopt the strategy and its expected benefits, and a significant gap also exists between its current comprehensive national power and its ability to afford the cost of the strategy, which will severely limit the implementation effects of the US Indo-Pacific Strategy. These factors therefore create conditions for China, as the weaker party, to effectively cope with and successfully hedge against various challenges posed by the US Indo-Pacific Strategy.