Abstract:There are two faces of containment and use in the USA's geostratey to China. Traditionally, the U.S.A regards China as a competitor to a large degree and has made geopolitical containment to China. Moreover, the USA has successfully put its strength into Central Asia since Afghanistan War in 2001. It gives China much geopolitical pressure on its western boundary and reduces China's geostrategic space a great deal. These geopolitical circumstances greatly restrict China's development and rise.
But by contrary, judging from realities of geopolitical interests, the USA begins to use China as a geopolitical partner for its national strategy. In fields of counterterrorism and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and so on, the USA administration seeks geopolitical cooperation with China. There are outstanding conflicts between the USA and the Islamic World. Gorge W. Bush administration considers that Islamic terrorism is a major threat to its national security. Various terrorism organisations against the USA that root in Islamic civilization gather in Asia-Europe Continent, especially in Middle East and Central Asia. In the world geopolitical pattern of terrorism and counterterrorism, China neighbors on the Islamic world and is situated in the front of both terrorism forces and the world union of counterterrorism. The USA administration needs to use China's geopolitical strength to fight against international terrorism in Asia-Pacific region. The USA needs to establish and keep a newly cooperative relationship with China to fight against international terrorism. There are also common interests between the USA and China in the field of non-proliferation of WMD. The USA hopes to build coalitions to strengthen nonproliferation efforts to prevent' rogue states' and terrorists from acquiring the materials, technologies, and expertise necessary for WMD.
The geopolitical demands from China for counterterrorism and nonproliferation of WMD have pushed the USA to strengthen cooperation with China. It brings China good opportunities for peaceful development.
陆俊元. 美国对华地缘战略与中国和平发展[J]. 人文地理, 2006, 21(1): 120-122.
LU Jun-yuan. GEOSTRATEGY IN THE USA TO CHINA AND CHINA'S PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, 2006, 21(1): 120-122.