Footnote to the post titled “Yellow Peril”

It follows that both culture and the overall balance of power in East Asia are the underlying causes of conflict between China and the United States. To borrow from Huntington: “The underlying cause of conflict between America and China is their basic difference over what should be the future balance of power in East Asia.”

And in terms of the balance of power issue, both America and China want to be the regional hegemon in East Asia. The state of affairs in East Asia could be defined by one of two outcomes, namely, either by this “bipolar rivalry” between America and China whereby East Asian nations will have to either bandwagon or balance between one side or the other, or over the long run, East Asia could “return to its traditional unipolar pattern with a hierarchy of power centered on Beijing.”

Trends suggest that the latter outcome is most likely over the long run, even if the short run is defined by a bipolar rivalry. Lip service is given to containing China, but in practice, East Asia accommodates China’s rise. In sum: “The era that began with the Western intrusions of the 1840s and 1850s is ending, China is resuming its place as regional hegemon, and the East is coming into its own.” And to conclude: “China is on its way to becoming the dominant power in East Asia.”