As the long march to the presidential nomination begins, most of the likely Republican contenders are talking tough on foreign policy and criticizing the Obama administration for its evident failings in handling Russia, Iran, Syria, and the Islamic State and other Islamist extremists.
These threats are undeniably pressing but, in the long run, all of them pale in comparison to the strategic challenge posed by China. Yet China and Asia more generally have thus far been almost entirely absent from political discourse over the future of American foreign policy.
Over the next months this is likely to change on the campaign trail.
The challenge from China has been growing since the end of 2012, which marked both the reelection of an American president and the announcement of a new leadership team in Beijing. Since his elevation to the positions of president and general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping has proven himself to be a forceful, ambitious and effective figure. Moving quickly to consolidate his personal authority, Xi has also taken steps to secure and extend the CCP’s monopoly on political power. The anti-corruption campaign that he launched immediately on assuming office now targets thousands of mid-to-high-level officials in the military, state and Party bureaucracies. In addition to eliminating opponents and potential rivals it is clearly intended to bolster the regime’s legitimacy in the eyes of the Chinese people.