To What Extent is China a ‘Security Threat’?

Debasish Sarmah

Issue & Policy Briefs June, 2024

The current international order, led by the United States, is undergoing phenomenal political, economic, and security changes that will decide whether the order will continue as it is, or a major pole shift will occur in an increasingly bipolar world. China is at the forefront of this evolution. It is the sole actor threatening the U.S.-led order so that it can be reshaped to fit into a novel design with Chinese characteristics. To do so, China employs a diverse set of economic and political strategies, which are efficient despite their ruthless nature. Currently, it does not look like the U.S. and the international community can form a consensus on how much of a security threat China poses. This issue brief looks at China’s rise so far, the nature of this emergence, and the attempt to establish China as an unconventional external threat that can spawn internal threats, making it the most consequential security threat to the U.S. and the international community since the fall of the USSR.

Related Publications

See more