China-U.S. Relations: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy

In the George W. Bush Administration, U.S.-China relations have remained unusually smooth and stable. But U.S. policy toward China now appears to be subject to competing reassessments. State Department officials in 2005 unveiled what they said was a new policy framework for the relationship - one in which the United States was willing to work cooperatively with a non-democratic China while encouraging Beijing to become a "responsible stakeholder" in the global system. Other U.S. policymakers appear to be adopting tougher stances on issues involving China and U.S.-China relations, concerned about strong PRC economic growth and a more assertive and influential PRC diplomacy in the international arena.