CHINA AND THE WEST: EMERGENCE OF NEW SECURITY RELATIONS

This article analyzes the emergence of a new and complex security relationship between China and the West in the post-Cold War era. It argues that the relationship was moving beyond the simple dynamics of the Cold War to a more multifaceted one, characterized by a mix of cooperation, competition, and engagement. The study examines the key areas of security cooperation, such as on issues of counter-terrorism (particularly after 9/11) and nuclear non-proliferation. The research also delves into the significant areas of strategic competition and mistrust. These include Western concerns about China's military modernization and its lack of transparency, and China's concerns about US hegemony and the strengthening of US alliances in Asia. The paper also explores the role of economic interdependence as a crucial factor that both complicates and moderates the security relationship. The analysis concludes that the China-West security relationship was not a simple binary of "friend" or "foe" but a complex and evolving dynamic that would be a central feature of 21st-century international politics.

The relationship between a rising China and the established Western powers, led by the United States, is the most important bilateral relationship of our time. This paper analyzes the emergence of a new and complex security dynamic between them in the post-Cold War world. The study begins by challenging simplistic, one-dimensional characterizations of the relationship. It argues against both the overly optimistic view that economic engagement would automatically lead to political convergence and the overly pessimistic view that a new Cold War was inevitable. The core of the article is an examination of the dualistic nature of the relationship, which it characterizes as a mix of "complex engagement." The paper first explores the growing areas of security cooperation. It details how, particularly after the 9/11 attacks, China and the West found common cause in the fight against terrorism. It also analyzes their shared, though not always identical, interests in preventing nuclear proliferation, as seen in the case of North Korea. The second part of the paper provides a detailed analysis of the persistent and deep-seated areas of strategic competition. It focuses on the security dilemma in the Asia-Pacific, where China's growing military power was seen as a challenge to the long-standing US-led security order. The issue of Taiwan is highlighted as the most dangerous potential flashpoint. The findings suggest a relationship of profound ambiguity. The paper concludes that the future of international security would be largely determined by how China and the West manage this complex and often-contradictory relationship, a task that would require a sophisticated and continuous process of diplomatic engagement.