Wang Hao, ”Realignment of Political Coalitions and the Domestic Political Logic of the Evolution of U.S. Grand Strategy towards China,”
Fudan American Review , Vol. 27, No.2, 2018
【Abstract】 Since the establishment of Sino-U.S. diplomatic relations in 1979, there have been always two kinds of logics behind U.S. strategy to China, namely geopolitics and domestic politics. Since we have known much about the former but are lack of studies on the latter, this article will focus on the influence of the realignment of U.S. domestic political coalitions on its China policy. The author argues that during the three stages of U.S.-China relations since 1979-strategic triangular era (1979-1991), post-Cold War era (1992-2008) and strategic competition era (2009-2018), America’s China strategies had their own domestic foundations: at first, it was a Northeast-South dominant political coalition that embraced engagement strategy towards China; and after the Cold War, a new political structure, in which the Democrats and their Northeast-West Coast Coalition preferred a liberal way to engage China, meanwhile the Republicans and their South-Mid West coalition preferred a realist way to engage China , became the new normal; finally, since 2009, the so-called Obama coalition and Trump coalition have adopted different approach to deal with a rising Chins based on various domestic political bases. Therefore, U.S. domestic politics is a useful tool to help us better understand its policies toward China.

【Key Words】 China-U.S. relations, coalition realignmen, U.S. politics, strategic competition, Trump coalition