On October 7, the Asia Policy Program— a joint effort of the Strauss and Clements Centers— hosted Ryan Hass, author of Stronger: Adapting America’s China Strategy in an Age of Competitive Interdependence, for a talk titled “Is Coexistence Possible Amidst Intensifying Rivalry? Charting a Path for the Future of U.S.-China Relations.” Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Director of the Asia Policy Program and an Associate Professor of Public Affairs at the LBJ School, moderated the conversation.

Mr. Hass began his presentation by calling into question the assumption that China and the U.S.’s national interests are inherently incompatible. He did note the obvious limits of U.S.-China collaboration, noting various Chinese practices (like human rights violations and its export of surveillance technologies) that do not align with U.S. values. But he also emphasized the need for a more nuanced view of the U.S-China relationship that does not rely solely on alarmist rhetoric. Mr. Hass then identified three factors that led him to write the book. First, China has emerged as a near-peer competitor to the U.S. Second, President XI Jinping has imprinted his personality on Chinese state behavior to an unanticipated degree. And third, the prior two factors are unfolding when the U.S. has hit hard times, as it struggles to navigate the information age and is experiencing a demographic transition. This has resulted, Mr. Hass argued, in a hunger for a reminders of America’s power. Mr. Hass therefore advocated for a more balanced and realistic assessment of China that acknowledges its real weaknesses, noting the risks of exaggerated characterizations of China’s strengths. 

He also advised that the U.S. lean into its strengths, such as its coalition building ability. This reflects the important reality that the U.S. and China are indeed in a competition, but are also interdependent, given the annual $700 billion in trade between the countries. He concluded by presenting policy recommendations, including the need to restore discipline in our dealings with the Taiwan issue. During the Q&A session, Mr. Hass answered questions on topics including the performance of the Biden administration in regards to China, the application (or lack thereof) of Kennan’s containment policy to China, and more.

Biography

Ryan Hass is a senior fellow and the Michael H. Armacost Chair in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings, where he holds a joint appointment to the John L. Thornton China Center and the Center for East Asia Policy Studies. He is also the Interim Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies. He was part of the inaugural class of David M. Rubenstein fellows at Brookings, and is a nonresident affiliated fellow in the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School. Hass focuses his research and analysis on enhancing policy development on the pressing political, economic, and security challenges facing the United States in East Asia.

From 2013 to 2017, Hass served as the director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia at the National Security Council (NSC) staff. In that role, he advised President Obama and senior White House officials on all aspects of U.S. policy toward China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, and coordinated the implementation of U.S. policy toward this region among U.S. government departments and agencies. He joined President Obama’s state visit delegations in Beijing and Washington respectively in 2014 and 2015, and the president’s delegation to Hangzhou, China, for the G-20 in 2016, and to Lima, Peru, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meetings in 2016.

Prior to joining NSC, Hass served as a Foreign Service Officer in U.S. Embassy Beijing, where he earned the State Department Director General’s award for impact and originality in reporting, an award given annually to the officer whose reporting had the greatest impact on the formulation of U.S. foreign policy. Hass also served in Embassy Seoul and Embassy Ulaanbaatar, and domestically in the State Department Offices of Taiwan Coordination and Korean Affairs. Hass received multiple Superior Honor and Meritorious Honor commendations during his 15-year tenure in the Foreign Service.

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