July 2, 2025, 3:01 am
For over five decades following the 1972 rapprochement between the United States and China, the two countries seemed to be steadily building a sound relationship, even accounting for periodic setbacks like the Tiananmen Square massacre.
The last decade, though, has seen a sharp increase in tensions and a complete reorientation of American policies toward China — from "engagement" to "competition." What happened?
Drawing on his forthcoming book Breaking the Engagement: How China Won & Lost America (Oxford University Press, June 2025), esteemed scholar David Shambaugh will examine the evolution, expansion, and disintegration of the American engagement strategy towards China.
To what extent is the sharp deterioration in relations a combination of China’s actions and American expectations? How is Xi Jinping’s increasingly assertive foreign policy and domestic repression directly challenging American interests? What is the role of U.S. expectations in fuelling the shift towards competition and rivalry in the last decade?
Content Creator – Australian Institute of International Affairs
