According to a summer 2025 article in International Security, the conventional wisdom in U.S. academic and policymaking circles misunderstands China’s geostrategic and economic goals. The evidence presented by the article’s authors suggests that China is concerned about regime stability and is more inwardly focused than externally oriented. China has long stated its core interests: domestic stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and social-economic development. Not only is there no need for a hostile U.S. military posture in the Pacific, but in fact, the focus on preparing to fight is detrimental to resolving many of the diplomatic, economic, and social issues that face both countries.
In an interview conducted on September 12, 2025, article co-author David C. Kang joins Steve Orlins to discuss how best to understand what China wants, and how the United States should avoid creating problems and isolating itself in ways that are deleterious to U.S. long-term national interests.