A Few Thoughts on Sino-American Relations

By Daniel Drezner, professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.  Here's a bit of them:

It is easy to look at China's military modernization and interpret it as a dagger placed against the throat of the U.S. and its allies.  It's worth remembering, however, that China currently spends more money on internal security than defense.  Their actual capabilities in the anti-access/anti-denial area are... let's say a bit exaggerated (though growing).  Sure, Beijing wants to expand its sphere of influence -- it's a rising great power -- but it sees its greatest threats as internal rather than external.