Publication

This paper argues that China’s capitalist authoritarian approach to development and international influence is now threatening Indo-Pacific stability, as well as Francis Fukuyama’s famous ‘end of history’ thesis. The author also contends 1) that China’s actions in the South China Sea represent a strategic precedent for how it will secure its interests over other disputes, such as the India-China Border, the East China Sea, and Taiwan; and 2) policy responses by rules-based states have largely been reactive with a short-term focus on narrow self-interest. The text concludes with eight policy recommendations for how regional states can work together to force a shift in Beijing’s strategies and uphold the rules-based order.