Economic Interdependence and Security Preference of Indo-Pacific Countries in US-China Competition

• In Event: China, Geopolitics, and Competition

Abstract

Does China's economic engagement with the Indo-Pacific countries influence their security relationship with the United States? This paper comprehensively analyzes the strategic decisions the regional countries make in their security policies when confronted with a revisionist power like China. The study examines the root of a nation's security policy, focusing on its stance toward the liberal international order and national security interests. The research identifies different attitudes towards these two critical issues and categorizes regional countries into three groups accordingly. The three types are those favoring China, those adopting a hedging approach, and those aligning with the United States. The core argument of this paper is that a country's strategic type significantly influences its perception of China's rise and consequently shapes its security cooperation with the United States. To empirically test this hypothesis, the paper utilizes military exercise data as a proxy for security cooperation. The findings provide evidence supporting the argument.

Author

• Qiang Wu, Texas A&M University