Domestic pressures for Chinese Expansionism: Rising China and what America should do about it

What does the rise of China mean for American power? 1 This is one of the central questions of the 21st century, and one the United States is likely to grapple with for decades to come. Today, there are many potential hot spots in the Indo-pacific region and China is at the heart of many of them. China is currently in the midst of cracking down against pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, continues to claim Taiwan as a central part of its One China Policy, is determined to use its newfound economic power to revise the current international rules based order by creating its own parallel institutions, and is involved in territorial disputes with Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and India, just to name a few.2 Before the United States can develop a solid strategy to maintain its place in the world, Chinese goals and the pressures facing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) must first be understood.