Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Beijing's proliferation record may stall efforts to grant China permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with the U.S. At issue are allegations that China continues to provide missile components and technical advice to other states. While China is not technically a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), it has pledged to abide by MTCR guidelines.
President Clinton is correct that the decision to grant China permanent most-favored-nation trading status will have a historic significance equal to Richard Nixon's opening to China and Jimmy Carter's normalization of relations. But if that's true, why is the president rushing Congress to make a hasty decision, with almost no time to consider the merits and consequences of this momentous step?
The present danger is that the United States will shrink from its responsibilities as the world's dominant power and--in a fit of absentmindedness, or parsimony or indifference--will allow the international order that it sustains to collapse. The present danger is one of declining strength, flagging will and confusion about our role in the world.
China's White Paper on Taiwan and Jiang Zemin’s desire to make reunification his legacy indicate that Taiwan will be attacked soon. A massive, coordinated air strike using short-range ballistic missiles could cripple Taiwan's air defenses and early warning systems, neutralizing its air force as well as naval ports. The U.S. military has no capabilities for defending Taiwan in such a scenario.
The book reveals why managing the rise of China constitutes one of the most important challenges facing the United States in the early 21st century.
U.S., Russian, and Chinese scholars analyze the most important issues posed by the relationship between China and Russia, and weigh the prospects for real cooperation between Russia, a severely weakened power, and China, a power on the rise.