Executive Summary
The US employs a multidomain containment strategy against China in the Indo-Pacific, integrating military deterrence, technological restrictions, economic coalitions, and normative influence. China counters with AI-enabled military modernization, strategic port access, and economic insulation via its Dual Circulation Strategy. This rivalry creates a complex techno-security architecture with selective decoupling and continued interdependence.
Why It Matters
This document is crucial for defense and geopolitical analysts as it details the evolving multidomain strategic competition between the US and China, highlighting military, technological, and economic aspects that shape regional and global security.
Key Takeaways
- The US employs a layered containment strategy in the Indo-Pacific, utilizing alliance-building, technology governance, and strategic partnerships to constrain China.
Source evidence · PDF page 2
The analysis shows that the US employs layered alliance-building, technology governance through semiconductor and export-control regimes, triangulated partnerships with actors such as Israel and India, and selective interventions in regional states, including Pakistan and the Philippines, to constrain Chinese influence.
- China's counter-responses are multidimensional, focusing on AI-enabled military modernization, securing strategic port access, and economic insulation.
Source evidence · PDF page 2
China’s countermeasures are multidimensional: advancing AI-enabled military modernization, securing strategic port access at Gwadar, Hambantota, and Ream, and reinforcing economic insulation through its Dual Circulation Strategy and yuan-based energy agreements.
- The US-China rivalry is characterized by a dual techno-security architecture, featuring selective decoupling in strategic technologies alongside continued interdependence in other domains.
Source evidence · PDF page 12
Together, these processes produce a dual techno-security architecture (Table 8), marked by selective decoupling in strategic technologies but continued interdependence in environmental, health, and economic domains.
Strategic Relevance
The study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the US-China strategic competition, moving beyond traditional military analysis to include technological, economic, and cognitive domains. This is vital for assessing future global power dynamics and potential flashpoints.