Hedging on Hegemony: The Realist Debate over How to Respond to China

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Published: Spring 2025

Chinese sailors show flag signaling during a tour arranged for foreign journalists, a day before the opening of the West Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong province, Sunday, April 21, 2024.

The United States fears a Chinese effort to gain regional hegemony. But a Chinese bid for hegemony in Asia is likely to fail. Beijing would be unwise to attempt it. U.S. leaders can therefore adopt a measured approach to this danger, facilitating balancing behavior by the United States’ Asian partners while working with China to create a more stable regional order.

Recommended citation

Stephen M. Walt, "Hedging on Hegemony: The Realist Debate over How to Respond to China," International Security, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Spring 2025), pp. 37–70, https://doi.org/10.1162/isec_a_00508.

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Asia & the Pacific China & security International Security & Defense International Security Program North America Security Strategy

Recommended citation

Stephen M. Walt, "Hedging on Hegemony: The Realist Debate over How to Respond to China," International Security, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Spring 2025), pp. 37–70, https://doi.org/10.1162/isec_a_00508.