The Upside of US-Chinese Strategic Competition
Institutional Balancing and Order Transition in the Asia Pacific

An argument for the possible positive effects of the institutionalised US–Chinese competition for stability and peace in the Asia-Pacific.

Kai He (Author), Huiyun Feng (Author)

9781009584883, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 5 June 2025

209 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.457 kg

'The political scientists He and Feng offer a counterintuitive and refreshingly optimistic argument about competition between China and the United States. They insist that the two rivals are not destined for military conflict, thanks to the abiding strength of nuclear deterrence and the constraints of economic interdependence, and because the competition between them occurs primarily through institutions … they argue convincingly that institutions, deterrence, and interdependence can mitigate conflict and that the new great-power competition will also yield underappreciated dividends.' Elizabeth Economy, Foreign Affairs

US–Chinese strategic competition is a defining factor in world politics. The prevailing narrative on US–China relations predicts inevitable conflicts between these two giants, potentially leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy. While fully acknowledging the inherent dangers of potential wars or military conflicts between the two powers, this book shows that competition is not necessarily detrimental. By systematically examining US–China institutional balancing across security, economic and political domains, particularly in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, this book highlights three positive externalities or unintended consequences: the revitalisation of regional institutions to address emerging challenges, unexpected collaborations between great powers (the US and China) and regional actors, and the provision of public goods by both nations. The book argues that constructive and institutionalised competition between the US and China, if managed with strategic foresight and restraint, could inadvertently lead to positive outcomes – institutional peace – in the Asia-Pacific region.

1. International Order Transition and US-China Competition: Beyond the Thucydides Trap
2. Institutional Peace Theory: Institutionalizing US-China Competition
3. Institutional Balancing in the Security Sub-order: Building a New Co-existent Security Architecture
4. Institutional Balancing in the Economic Sub-order: Beyond the Spaghetti Bowl Effect
5. Institutional Balancing in the Political Sub-order: Keeping the Political Diversity for Peace
6. Building Institutional Peace in the Asia Pacific in the 21st Century.

Subject Areas: International relations [JPS]