The Foreign Service Journal, November 2021

74 NOVEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL constructing relationships of mutual respect that celebrate reli- gious, cultural and institutional differences. To capitalize on its advantages in building enduring part- nerships, the United States must intensify efforts to bring allies together to maintain global peace and prosperity in the trans- Pacific region and beyond. Genuine partnerships are a force multiplier and can directly serve American strategic interests and initiatives at home and abroad. Understanding the U.S.-China Rivalry For the United States to engage in serious conversations with international partners on the challenges of the Sino-American relationship in the trans-Pacific region, it is important to enu- merate a set of initial suppositions, some of which might be hard for Americans to accept at first. First, rivalry with China is not all bad. The United States’ response to the rivalry is what matters. Historically, rivalry has brought out America’s competitive spirit. A rivalry forces Americans to be better, not repose in complacency and, above all, do what America does best—innovate. A rivalry today must see American innovation increase to the pace necessary to face tomorrow’s global challenges. Second, the rise of China reveals weaknesses in U.S. foreign policy, foreign development efforts and the military. American efforts abroad have real weaknesses and inconsistencies. Failing Japanese submarine JS Mochishio arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam in October 2011 to support a multinational naval exercise designed to strengthen regional partnerships and improve multinational interoperability. U.S.NAVY/RONALDGUTRIDGE to identify these weaknesses can have serious consequences. It is how the United States responds to these challenges that matters. Third, the Sino-American relationship is complex. Although ideological differences exist, the Sino-American rivalry is a very different competition from the Cold War. China is integrated into the world economy and has a different demographic profile, geography and culture, and a much larger economy relative to ours than did Soviet Russia. In addition to the deep economic ties between the United States and China, more than 350,000 Chinese students were studying at American institutions during the 2019-2020 academic year. The United States must assume and appreciate that similar complexities exist between other nations and China. American policymakers need to make tough choices, but posing binary choices in many instances will prove insufficient to ensure a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Fourth, how the United States conducts itself in this era of great power rivalry matters. Although taking the high road is that much harder when the competitor takes the low road, it is still the right thing to do. China’s treatment of the minority Muslim population of Uighurs in the Xinjiang region, where millions are imprisoned and mosques are systematically destroyed, is an example of taking the low road. The United States’ employment of “enhanced interrogation” techniques, a euphemism for tor- ture, following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks is another—and it has proved costly in light of America’s professed interest in promot-