Ties That Bind: U.S. Dual-Use Dependence on China
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- U.S.-China relations have become increasingly complex and competitive. This thesis seeks to explain why the United States government allowed key industries producing dual-use products, those with both commercial and defense applications, to become so dependent on China for their supply chains. Although many industries have sought lower-cost supply chains in China over the past several decades, dependencies for dual-use products pose particular vulnerabilities from a national security perspective: these products directly impact defense readiness and mobilization. Examples of dual-use products with high dependence on China include rare earth metals, printed circuit boards, lithium-ion batteries, pharmaceuticals, and more. I propose three theoretical models to explain high levels of dual-use product dependence on China: the formerly low prioritization of China as a security threat, the lagging integration of economic and security policies within the U.S. government bureaucracy, and lobbying by private sector industry associations. Examining evidence from a wide range of sources, including trade data, industry assessments, and government speeches and reports, I find that the U.S.’ dual-use dependence on China is significant, has been growing, and is widespread across industries and defense applications. Evidence further suggests that government dynamics better explain U.S. dual-use dependence on China than private sector factors like interest group influence do. I find that entities within the U.S. government long recognized the threat of dual-use dependence on China, but because China was not prioritized as a security threat or portrayed as a competitor, this dependence was allowed to persist and grow. Lagging integration of the U.S.’ economic and security policies exacerbated the lack of focus on this issue. Notably, private sector interest group influence does not appear to have played a major role. This thesis thus offers critical insights: it explains how America’s dual-use dependence on China came to be and reveals the economic and security interests that have shaped U.S.-China relations through time.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | May 24, 2020 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Xenopoulos, Antigone Zoe |
|---|---|
| Primary advisor | Zegart, Amy |
| Degree granting institution | Stanford University, Center for International Security and Cooperation |
Subjects
| Subject | Center for International Security and Cooperation |
|---|---|
| Subject | U.S. |
| Subject | China |
| Subject | U.S.-China relations |
| Subject | supply chains |
| Subject | supply chain security |
| Subject | economic interdependence |
| Subject | dependence |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
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- Use and reproduction
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- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Xenopoulos, Antigone Zoe. Ties That Bind: U.S. Dual-Use Dependence on China. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: https://purl.stanford.edu/mc318xm0594
Collection
Stanford University, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Interschool Honors Program in International Security Studies, Theses
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- Contact
- antigonezx@gmail.com
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