ABSTRACT
How do lesser powers in the Asia-Pacific region struggle for survival under the fierce competition between the United States and China? In this paper, we analyze this question by looking into adoption of strategies such as balancing, bandwagoning, and hedging by lesser powers. We argue that the stronger a country’s power, the more likely it is to choose a balancing strategy. Conversely, the weaker the country, the more likely it is to go with bandwagoning. We employ discrepancies in trade dependence on the United States and China and differences in the number of votes cast alongside the two countries as indicators to quantify the strategies of lesser powers toward great powers and examine whether the variable of strategies follows the expected pattern. Our analysis shows that countries that place in the middle on the spectrum of state power demonstrated great freedom their choice of strategies toward the two powers. As the administration of U.S. President Joseph Biden has maintained a containment strategy towards China since his inauguration in 2021, it is likely that an intensifying competition between China and the United States will continue to dominate the strategies of lesser powers, and this paper aims to provide a guide to understanding their future strategies.
