The United States - China Rivalry and the BRI

The article describes the United States - China rivalry and Chinas Belt Road Initiative (BRI) through a fine-grained review of primary materials such as major US policy documents speeches by media interviews with key American foreign decisionmakers, well selective use secondary think tank studies articles in scholarly publications. It shows that BRI has fueled bilateral since its birth 2013 rivalry, turn, affected views about BRI. Under President Barack Obama, took muted stance towards BRI, expressing modestly cooperative sentiments regarding it. In contrast, under Donald Trump, Washingtons posture dramatically changed his administration frequently denigrating raising it security documents, initiating competing development schemes BUILD Act, building closer cooperation allies against venture. Despite angst however, Trump never launched any large-scale countermeasures. This contributes to clarifying situation correcting some factual errors past analyses updating general understanding administrations response. systematically contemplates how internal external economic, political, ideational factors Obama responses demonstrating shaped or shifted bounded form intensity. These factors, being similar those stressed neoclassical realists who emphasize role leaders interpreters within limits environment responders subject various domestic constraints, provide foundation which is used speculate USs probable response Joseph Biden, Jr.