ABSTRACT
Post-Cold War trends forecast an increasingly developed and capable People's Republic of China continuing to rise while facing major encumbrances in an East Asian order led by the USA. The end of the Soviet Union and the Cold War destroyed the strategic framework for the Sino–US cooperation initiated by US President Richard Nixon and Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong. In North-East Asia, the situation is complicated by efforts to deal with the North Korean threat as well as multilateral great power competition, but in East Asia, the US approach entails greater competition with China for regional influence on the one hand, and greater constructive engagement with the Chinese leaders on the other. As Chinese capabilities grow, Beijing is likely to take actions that will further challenge the international order supported by the USA. The challenges to the security and stability in East Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific have been clear and seem primed to continue and perhaps advance.
