Analyzing the Views of Chinese Think Tanks on the Indo-Pacific Strategy during the First Trump Administration

This study analyzes the perceptions and assessments of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy during Donald Trump’s first administration (2017–2021) by major Chinese think tanks. Drawing on the theoretical framework of the “triad of anarchic cultures” (comprising hierarchy, rivalry, and cooperation), it conducts a systematic analysis of the characteristics and internal logic of Chinese expert evaluations. The findings indicate that Chinese experts unanimously interpret the strategy as a U.S. tool for maintaining geopolitical dominance and containing China, based on three pillars: strengthening military-political alliances, economic rivalry, and a network of partnerships. The study concludes that, according to these assessments, the strategy destabilized the Asia-Pacific region, exacerbated China’s peripheral security challenges, and posed challenges to the Belt and Road Initiative. Simultaneously, the analysis highlights the impracticality of the U.S. goal of comprehensively containing China due to its economic-political resilience, the strategic autonomy of regional actors, and contradictions within the U.S. alliance system.