Unipolar aspirations in a multipolar reality: China's perceptions of US ambitions and capabilities in the post‐Cold War world*

Sino‐US relations are pivotal for the peace and security of the Asia‐Pacific region and of the world more generally. Based on a wide range of Chinese‐language sources, this article examines how China perceives US aspirations, strategies and capabilities in the post‐Cold War world. It also considers the links between China's perceptions of the United States and its policy towards Washington. The article focuses on the views of the Chinese security specialists who play an important advisory role in the Chinese foreign‐policy‐making process. The findings of this study reveal that, despite a deep suspicion among Chinese elites of US global ambitions, their assessment of America's ‘hard power resources’ is by and large realistic. Thus, while Sino‐US relations have been rather unstable over the past decade, China's leaders have sought to avoid a major confrontation with the United States.