The Influence of Face on the U.S.-China Security Dilemma

September 7, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Mānoa Campus, East-West Center Research Program, Burns Hall, Room 3012 Add to Calendar

The Influence of Face on the U.S.-China Security Dilemma


Er-Win Tan

POSCO Visiting Fellow

Wednesday, September 7, 2016 | 12:00 noon to 1:00pm
John A. Burns Hall, Room 3012 (3rd floor)

In line with the re-emergence of the People’s Republic of China as a great power in the 21st Century, Beijing has adopted an increasingly assertive foreign and security policy in staking its territorial claims to the South and East China Seas. In this sense, China’s nationalism is driven by two distinct trends: first, the realization of China’s rise in the economic, military and political indices of power has led to a newfound sense of confidence in China’s own ‘Manifest Destiny’ as a superpower to rival the status quo, the United States. Second, China is also characterized by longstanding historical memories of the period in history referred to as the ‘Century of Humiliation’, when China’s ranking in the aforementioned indices of power were at a low point. Both of these variables are themselves underpinned by the notion of Face as a sociological concept in China, underlining the importance the prestige and dignity of one’s community in the eyes of others from outside that community. Within the context of contemporary international politics, the convergent effect of these variables have contributed to the PRC’s internalization of an assertive foreign and security policy that is twofold, in 1) justifying China’s bid to establish a sphere of influence in its maritime neighbourhood to secure Beijing’s economic and security interests, and 2) symbolically rejecting the era where China’s status as a great power was ignored by the dominant powers of the 19th century. In so doing, the re-emergence of China as a superpower, by marking a change in the Asia Pacific balance of power, points to the logic of the security dilemma – in attempting to increase its own regional security as befits China’s return to a position of preeminence, China’s growing assertiveness undermines the security of its neighbours and the US. This seminar will examine the influence of Face on China’s perception of itself on the world stage, with reference to the implications for security and diplomacy in the Asia Pacific region.


Er-Win Tan is a POSCO Visiting Research Fellow with the East West Center and Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Department of International and Strategic Studies at the University of Malaya. He completed his PhD thesis, ‘A Comparison of Offensive Realist, Defensive Realist, and Constructivist Perspectives on the US-North Korean Security Dilemma, 1992-2001’, at Aberystwyth University. His research interests include Security Dilemma Theory, Strategic Culture, Security Regimes, Non-Offensive Defense, Deterrence Theory, Confidence and Security Building Measures, US-North Korean Interaction, and Security and Diplomacy in the Asia Pacific Region.


https://sites.google.com/site/erwintanphd/


Event Sponsor
East-West Center, Research Program, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Laura Moriyama, 944-7444, Laura.Moriyama@eastwestcenter.org

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