The phrase "rise of China" is used so often that it has become a cliché; nevertheless, China has been and will continue be a problem well into the future. The People's Republic of China is a hegemonic power in Asia and the rest of the world, and its newfound wealth propels the ambitions of China's leaders. Managing the relationship will occupy a considerable amount of American diplomatic and security resources.

Equally problematic is the fact that China's neighbors in Southeast Asia recognize the threat posed by China, but they do not want to see their region become a cockpit of a superpower struggle, and neither do they want to choose between neighboring China and the United States. The United States must craft a strategy of regional resilience for Southeast Asia that encourages economic growth, military reform, and democratic transformation that will enable the countries of Southeast Asia to resist Chinese pressures.

The purpose of The China Challenge is to take a new look at America's foreign policy in Asia and to provide policymakers with an insight—and solutions—to the myriad and densely interwoven issues that will confront the United States in the twenty-first century.