China, the United States, and 21st-century sea power

China's rise to power on the world's oceans is attracting wide attention and may ultimately restructure the global balance of power during the course of the 21st century. Many books have described this phenomenon and the significant strategic implications that flow from Beijing's rapid maritime development. However, the subject of whether and how to integrate a stronger China into a global maritime security partnership has not been adequately explored. Delving into a variety of vital domains of contemporary maritime security, American and Chinese contributors to this edited volume illustrate that despite recent turbulence in U.S.-China military relations, substantial shared interests should enable extensive maritime security cooperation. But for professionals to structure cooperation effectively, they warn, Washington and Beijing must create sufficient political and institutional space. Andrew S. Erickson is an associate professor in the U.S. Naval War College's Strategic Research Department and a founding member of its China Maritime Studies Institute. He is an Associate in Research at Harvard University's Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies and a Fellow in the National Committee