Ways not to "manage" China

The release of the Pentagon's annual report to Congress on China's military power has become an event in itself. It is the occasion for China hawks to play out their well-rehearsed outrage at the US letting China build up its military, and for Chinese generals to balk at the US's interference with Chinese domestic affairs. As the folks over at Defense Tech note, hawks will dig through the report for the most scary sounding piece of equipment the Chinese have purchased this year, while the generals will relay the most belligerent criticisms back home, in order to perpetuate their vision of America as a trigger-happy cowboy nation.

What the debate really comes down to is whether China's rise will be peaceful or it will lead to a clash with the current hegemon, the US. That's as big a question as they come, and it seems reasonable to take the long view on this kind of debate: Three years ago, an independent task-force commissioned by the always reliable Council on Foreign Relations reported that China is at least two decades away from rivaling US military might. 20-3 still makes 17 years on my calculator, which sounds like a reasonable time frame to craft a sensible and sophisticated policy that will bring out the best in China, while keeping the worst at bay.

In the meantime, it makes sense to read up on the news informing us about cooperation rather than listening to those harping about confrontation.