Great Power Competition between the United States and China: Implications for Pakistan

Abstract

In global politics, in the last decade and a half, a great power competition between the United States (US) and China has emerged, where China, a rising power, is blatantly challenging the US-led unipolar moment. China is able to pose a serious threat to the US-led liberal world order due to the fact that it has been effectively challenging the US primacy; it has overtaken the US in the economic realm, it is now considered to be the US’ peer-competitor in military domain, and by establishing one after the other multilateral institutions, both political and financial, it is undermining the US’ diplomatic might. The US, in turn, to contain China’s rise has too promulgated successive policies and strategies; from the Pivot to Asia and Trade Wars to ganging up with India. The extent of the threat posed by China can be understood from the fact that for the first-time in the National Security Strategy 2017 the US has designated China as a revisionist state threatening the existing world order. The US-China geostrategic competition has affected global politics, as both sides are using all resources in hand – in the US’ case coercion too – to increase its geopolitical clout. Consequently, across the globe alliances are being redrawn; old foes are now allies and vice versa. Amidst this complex convoluted competition, Pakistan faces a strategic dilemma; as historically it has been able to maintain cordial ties with both states, Not only does Pakistan’s economic conditions and security state prevents it from choosing a side, but also and more importantly it has learnt from the politics of the Cold War that picking a side in a great power competition has less benefits than drawbacks. This study determines by application of the Realist paradigm the extent of the US-China great power competition; the effects of this geostrategic competition on global politics as well as South Asian politics; and the effects on Pakistan’s foreign policy choices.