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Abstract
This article analyzes the key issues in the "comprehensive engagement" policy pursued by the United States towards China during the Clinton administration. It examines the rationale behind this policy, which sought to manage the rise of China by engaging it across a wide range of issues, from trade and security to human rights. The study explores the central tension within the policy between the desire for economic engagement and the concern over China's human rights record and its growing military power. The research assesses the key issue-areas of the relationship, including the contentious debates over China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), the annual renewal of its Most Favored Nation (MFN) trading status, the problem of Taiwan, and concerns about weapons proliferation. The paper argues that "comprehensive engagement" was a complex and often-contradictory policy, reflecting the deep divisions within the US foreign policy establishment on how to best manage the rise of a new great power. The analysis concludes by evaluating the overall success of the policy in shaping China's behavior.
Full Text
The rise of China was the single most important strategic challenge facing the United States in the post-Cold War era. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the Clinton administration's response: the policy of "comprehensive engagement." The study begins by contrasting this approach with the alternative of "containment," arguing that the deep economic interdependence between the two countries made a new Cold War-style confrontation unviable. The core of the article is an examination of the key issues that defined the policy in practice. In the economic sphere, the paper provides an in-depth analysis of the difficult and protracted negotiations over China's accession to the WTO, which became the centerpiece of the engagement strategy. It explores the argument that integrating China into the global trading system would not only bring economic benefits but would also encourage internal reform and greater adherence to international norms. In the security sphere, the paper examines the major points of friction, particularly the periodic crises over Taiwan and US concerns about China's military modernization and its sale of sensitive technologies. The paper also delves into the persistent and highly contentious issue of human rights, analyzing how the administration sought to balance its promotion of human rights with its broader strategic and economic interests. The findings reveal a policy that was constantly navigating between the poles of cooperation and confrontation, a complex balancing act that would continue to define the US-China relationship for years to come.