The book “China–US Competition Impact on Small and Middle Powers “Strategic Choices” has defined the issues and challenges faced by the small and middle seized countries. This is an edited book which has 12 chapters. In these chapters, the authors have tried to explain the foreign policy changes made by the Asian and European countries which are mostly affected by the recent Sino-Us competition.

These challenges have forced countries to amend their foreign policies, so they could maximise their national interests

The competition and strategic rivalry between US and China have been increasing continuously which has created a thought-provoking situation for small and middle countries of the world. These challenges have forced countries to amend their foreign policies, so they could maximise their national interests. The book analyses the response of small and middle countries to the Sino-Us competition by using the theoretical framework of balancing-bandwagoning by Alan Bloomfield. According to this method, hedging response can be of two kinds, one is risk contingency, which deals with the future risks by balance of power. And the second is return maximizing, which includes limited bandwagoning. The authors have also used the case study method to explain the countries’ reaction toward the Sino-US competition.

The authors discussed that domestic and local factors also affect the strategic choices of the small and middle countries. Because of the pressure of Sino-US competition, these countries have to respond actively to these policies. The authors discuss that during the Biden administration, the US has been focusing and strengthening its relationship with is partners and allies, as compared to China, which is giving attention to its foreign and domestic affairs, that is why, remaining neutral is very hard for small and middles size European and Asian countries.

Countries opt for hedging policies according to their own geographical, historical and domestic policies which determines their relationship with  China and the United States

According to the authors, the small and middle size countries want to remain neutral so they could take advantages from both sides. As taking sides is more possible for powerful states which can choose according to their will. The writer of the book also argues that countries opt for hedging policies according to their own geographical, historical and domestic policies which determines their relationship with China and the United States.  The authors further discuss different issues and say that after the Russia and Ukraine conflict broke out, the worlds expectations from the United States have increased. The chapters also discussed the policies of European countries Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom, which had been involved in maintaining good economic relationship with China but have remained politically neutral. These countries also wanted China to engage in liberal rule order, but things have changed after Russia started the war on Ukraine.

The European countries may opt for a soft balancing policy towards China in the future

Moreover, the other European countries want to improve their relations with the United
States and want it to keep its engagement in the European security structure. They also argue that the European countries may opt for a soft balancing policy towards China in the future.

The authors further talk about the Asian countries such as Korea and Japan, which have been in good terms with the US and would always encourage the US engagement in the security order of Asia. These countries also have engaged in good and balanced economic relations with China. The book also argues about the issue of Taiwan in this region and the united states’ strong commitment to this matter and Taiwan’s support for the US against China. The book argues about the small Asian countries such as Singapore, which have chosen to opt for balance in their relationship with both states.

Small countries should choose different policies and strategies through research and analysis according to their specific situation

The authors argue that with the ongoing increase in the competition between China and United States, the option of bilateral relations with both states for small countries would be exceedingly difficult. Researchers argue that to tackle these kind of issues, small countries should choose different policies and strategies through research and analysis according to their specific situation. The book tries to explain the response of small and middle countries to the competition between China and US.

This book is an important contribution to the critical issue faced by small and middle countries because of shifts in the international order

This book is an important contribution to the critical issue faced by small and middle countries because of shifts in the international order. This explains the European and Asian countries’ issue regarding the competition between both US and China. As it has been observed that the competition between both US and China has increased in the post Covid era, this book is a valuable addition for policy makers and academic researchers. Moreover, the phenomenon of the competition’s effects on the small and middle countries of Europe and Asia has been not much discussed. There are very few publications that shed light on these kinds of issues.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.