America's Challenge: Engaging a Rising China in the Twenty-First Century by Michael D. Swaine

Author:Michael D. Swaine [Swaine, Michael D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: International Relations, Political Science, General, Diplomacy
ISBN: 9780870033445
Google: qwqVCwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 17472667
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Published: 2011-06-01T00:00:00+00:00

Tactics and Approaches

Achieving further advances and resolving problems in all the policy arenas reviewed above will also depend to a significant degree on the ability of the U.S. leadership to reinforce or, in some cases, correct a range of structural and procedural features of the U.S. policymaking process, along with various tactical approaches employed in America’s relations with China.

As discussed in chapter 9, the U.S. policymaking process toward China more and more requires the creation and maintenance of a strong central authority to provide coordination, control, and strategic direction over an increasingly complex, fragmented, and often competitive or contentious organizational structure. Such an authority should most logically reside within the executive branch in the National Security Council (NSC), under the close supervision of the president. In other words, the president must select highly capable, active individuals as NSC adviser and Asia director, each with a keen ability to coordinate and guide the U.S. organizational structure with regard to China, and remain closely engaged with such individuals in directing China policy. In addition, effective coordination and control over the disparate elements of the U.S. policymaking process also require the maintenance of cooperative personal relationships among the national security adviser and the leaders of the major agencies involved in China policy, ranging from the Department of State and the Department of Defense to the Department of the Treasury and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Equally important, such qualities, along with the ability to conduct frank dialogues, must also be present in relations between the executive branch and Congress. As noted in chapter 9, the relationship between these two entities remains problematic in many areas with regard to China. One way the NSC should work to address this problem is to hold regular off-the-record meetings on China policy with members of Congress and/or congressional staff members to facilitate trust building and information sharing. Such off-the-record briefings could also be conducted with key members of the media to help communicate the rationale for China policy and clear up misperceptions that might otherwise take on a life of their own.

Again, the president’s role is critical. He or she must ensure that the executive branch’s agency heads can work together effectively and are willing to receive guidance and coordination from the NSC. It is particularly important that the president and other senior officials actively engage in China policymaking at a high level on important issues, including paying regular bilateral visits to countries in the Asia-Pacific region and attending key Asian multilateral summits.

Finally, as chapter 9 clearly indicates, in engaging China in all the policy arenas analyzed in this study, U.S. policymakers should incorporate the key lessons and experiences of the past, including these needs:

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