Great Powers Competion and US Response to China’s Silk Road Initiative

Subject Areas : Political Sciences- International Relations

Seyyed Saeed Mirtorabi ^{1 *} , mohsen keshvarian azad ²

1 - Associate professor, kharazmi university
2 - Department of International Relations, Faculty of Law & Political Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2024-08-10 Accepted : 2024-10-14 Published : 2025-02-06

Keywords: United States, China, Belt and Road Initiative, confrontation, infrastructure projects,

Abstract :

Abstract:

 

From 2013 to 2023, the United States has followed a clear path in its reaction to China's Silk Road initiative, gradually shifting from a position of silence and indirect actions to aggressive and confrontational behaviors regarding China's infrastructure initiative. The aim of this article is to explain why the United States’ positions towards China's Silk Road initiative have gradually become more confrontational. In this context, the main question based on the article's descriptive-explanatory method is: why has the U.S. stance towards the initiative become increasingly confrontational in the decade following the announcement of the Silk Road initiative (2013-2023)? The response proposed as a hypothesis to this question is that the increasing confrontational position of the U.S. towards China's Silk Road initiative is a function of the changing nature of relations between the two countries from cooperation to competition. This shift has led to a move from President Obama’s relatively cooperative approach towards the initiative to a competitive stance under President Trump, followed by an escalation of competition during President Biden’s administration. The findings of the article indicate that, given the evolving U.S. approach to the Belt and Road Initiative, there remains potential for increased competition with China in the area of international infrastructure development.