The United States and China
Author: Robert Sutter
Region: Asia
Theme: Economics, Foreign Relations, Security, Politics
Location: United States of America
Published September 3, 2013
Download PDF2012 was a year of leadership transition in China and a presidential election in the United States. At the 18th Congress of China’s Communist Party in November, Hu Jintao passed party and military leadership positions to Xi Jinping, who was named president during the National People’s Congress meeting in March. Barack Obama ended a long and acrimonious presidential campaign, defeating Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Meanwhile, North Korea’s leadership succession following the death of Kim Jong-il in December 2011 and elections in such key regional governments as Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan influenced circumstances along the rim of China—the main arena where China and the United States are encountering one another in increasingly competitive ways.