ABSTRACT
Sino-US strategic rivalry is currently transforming from a spatial rivalry primarily centered in East Asia to a positional rivalry spanning the systemic level. This chapter argues that the political and psychological aspects of the rivalry are difficult to overcome and greatly influence each state’s behavior towards the other. The Middle East, and in particular the Arabian Peninsula, offers an empirical example of how this rivalry is unfolding. While Chinese interests are expanding in the region, American reliance on the region’s petroleum is rapidly decreasing. In addition, while China’s navy is increasingly capable of assisting in the security of the region, for primarily political reasons, it has so far declined to send greater military assets to the region, thus making it reliant on America’s security architecture.
