US-China Commission Report - Fatal System Error

CHAPTER 4
CHINA’S FOREIGN ACTIVITIES
AND RELATIONSHIPS
SECTION 1: CHINA’S EXPANDING GLOBAL
INFLUENCE AND ITS FOREIGN POLICY
GOALS AND TOOLS
‘‘The Commission shall investigate and report exclusively on—
...
‘‘REGIONAL ECONOMIC AND SECURITY IMPACTS—The triangular
economic and security relationship among the United
States, [Taiwan], and the People’s Republic of China (including
the military modernization and force deployments of the
People’s Republic of China aimed at [Taiwan]), the national
budget of the People’s Republic of China, and the fiscal
strength of the People’s Republic of China in relation to internal
instability in the People’s Republic of China and the likelihood
of the externalization of problems arising from such internal
instability. . . .’’
Introduction
China, as other nations, uses economic, military, and political
tools to advance its interests on the world stage. China’s growing
activism is an attempt to demonstrate that it has recaptured great
power status. In 2008, more than ever before, with the Olympic
Games taking place in Beijing, China has promoted its economic
strength and potential for growth and has courted international
partnerships to support its policies. At times, it also has exerted
pressure to change others’ behavior—with some frequency in directions
not favored by the United States—or to quell criticism of the
Chinese government’s actions. However, then-Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Thomas Christensen
testified to the Commission that China’s behavior abroad is
generally moving in a positive direction. 1
This section does not document China’s activities around the
world; the Commission has done that in its Annual Reports in previous
years. The objective of this section is to examine the motivations
behind China’s foreign policy and to identify the tools the
Chinese government uses to accomplish its foreign policy goals.
With a better understanding of why, how, and when China seeks
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