Regime Transformation of the PRC and the Formulation of a Strategy to Contain China: Assessments of American Sinologists

Abstract

This article looks into the discussion of American sinologists regarding the potential of the “Chinese model” and recommendations for Washington on developing a policy to contain China based on these assessments. This issue becomes especially relevant against the backdrop of statements by the PRC leadership about the existence of “Chinese-style modernization” as a non-Western path of development and the emergence of the thesis in the Chinese ideological discourse about Beijing’s readiness to share “Chinese wisdom” and management principles with other countries. It is concluded that opinions of American sinologists on the subject are far from unanimous. There are two main groups of assessments among professional sinologists in the United States regarding the capabilities of the PRC to displace American values and standards of governance on a global scale.