China's Core Interests and Strategic Culture: Implications for U.S. Policy in Hong Kong

Abstract

Hong Kong has experienced a marked decline in democracy over the past 10 years. The U.S. has been pitted between supporting Hong Kong's democratization while acknowledging Hong Kong is part of China. In 2019, U.S. Congress passed new legislation to support Hong Kong's autonomy and improve the human rights by conditioning an annual assessment of Hong Kong's MFN trade status. Thirty years after Tiananmen, what has caused the sudden shift in U.S. policy? Does it make sense politically and strategically for the U.S. to use economic sanctions to shape China's behavior? The U.S. has expressed support for Hong Kong's unique form of government since its return to China in 1997 but has repeatedly failed to adopt a strategy that supports this objective. In recent years the U.S. has demonstrated a willingness to take a hard stance to China, prioritizing competition over cooperation. The U.S. needs to reconsider the maximalist coercive strategy with China without considering Chinas core interests and national strategy. This will lead to maximum failure.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 27, 2020
Accession Number
AD1177687

Entities

People

  • Andrea N. Gulliksen

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • China
  • Civil Rights
  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of State
  • Economic Sanctions
  • Economic Systems
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Human Rights
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • National Governments
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Political Systems
  • United States
  • Ussr
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Asian Economic Studies
  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Urban Planning and Geography.