The Obama Administration’s Policy toward China after Economic Crisis

The purpose of this article is to examine the impacts of the U.S. financial crisis on the Obama Administration’s foreign policy towards China. When faced with limited resources to conduct a sustained rivalry with China, the Obama administration embraced “smart power” as a foundation of foreign policy to achieve policy goals. The U.S. and China cooperated on various issues, including maintenance of stable international system, counterterrorism, and global warming. Although the tight currency management and vigorous diplomatic engagement by China caused a serious rupture with the U.S. occasionally, both countries tried to avoid further conflicts. The Obama administration’s “smart power” policy toward China was an effective mechanism to reduce conflicts and promote cooperation between the two countries.