Francis A. Finelli
Member, Board of Directors, Business Executives for National Security (BENS)
Timothy Welter, PhD
Senior Research Fellow and Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
Overview of the US/China Competition
There was once a time when it was assumed that China would move toward liberal democratic institutions and, with that, pursue a more open capitalist economy. This assumption was based on the argument that as China grew richer through capital investment and market-driven economic expansion, its population’s values and outlook would become more Westernized. However, this assumption, common a couple of decades ago, ignored a critical reality—the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) maintains firm control over China and is dedicated to its own values, including leveraging China’s sense of history and destiny to sustain its grip on power. As Jonathan Ward attests in China’s Vision of Victory, the CCP would never allow a turn to liberal democratic values or institutions.