J OF CHIN POLIT SCI (2014) 19:437–438 DOI 10.1007/s11366-014-9315-1 BOOK REVIEW

Steve Chan, Looking for Balance: China, the United States, and Power Balancing in East Asia (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2012), 304 p. $41.93 hardback, $26.54 paperback Sheng Ding

Published online: 19 October 2014 # Journal of Chinese Political Science/Association of Chinese Political Studies 2014

Dr. Steve Chan is a prolific scholar in the study of international relations. His recent research agenda has focused on analyzing contemporary international relations in East Asia and refuting some traditional international relations theories in the paradigm of realism. His last three books–Enduring Rivalries in the Asia-Pacific (2013); Looking for Balance (2012); and China, the U.S., and the Power-Transition Theory (2008)–all fall into this agenda. Chan’s recent scholarship, including this book, is important because it provides readers with an alternative understanding of post–Cold War international relations in the Pacific Asia. As pointed out by Chan, the ascent of China has become one of the most transformative developments since the World War II. There is a fast-growing literature on China’s rise in the field of international relations, and Looking for Balance makes great contributions to this subject area with its coherently articulated theoretical arguments and carefully presented empirical and historical evidence. Central to Chan’s criticism of the balance of power theory are the failures of Asian states to balance against the hegemony of the US in East Asia, and China’s Asian neighbors’ failure in forming a countervailing coalition to challenge China’s reemergence as a world power. Undeniably, the post–Cold War history of East Asian international relations is contradictory to the projections of many realist international relations scholars. Chan specifies the failure of the supporters of the balance of power theory to consider several important factors. First, the development of East Asian international relations and the ascent of China are different from the experience of Europe and America. Thus, traditional international relations theories in the paradigm of realism cannot be readily applied to the study of East Asia and China. Second, the governing elites in East Asian states have increasingly staked their legitimacy and regime survival on economic performance and prioritized cooperation instead of confrontation in regional relations. Third, the widespread commercial and financial interdependence among East Asian states provides a form of mutually credible and

S. Ding (*) Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 E. Second St., Bloomsburg, PA 17815-1301, USA e-mail: [email protected]

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binding commitment that is instrumental to increasing trust and reassurance in the regional relations. According to Chan, Asian state leaders are strategically savvy enough to understand the opportunity costs of balancing policies. To build up armaments and join alliances would be counterproductive in the perspective of improving security prospects. Throughout his book, Chan emphasizes that East Asian leaders have predominantly pursued their foreign strategies to serve domestic political agendas. Chan offers an insightful analysis of the impacts of China’s rise on East Asian international relations with evidence from historical, economic, and foreign policy perspectives. To a great extent, post–Cold War East Asian international relations are characterized with less confrontation and more sophisticated cooperation than the rest of the world. There are several recent developments that deserve Chan’s further consideration. First, he claims that Asian states have increasingly pursued international cooperation in order to achieve regime legitimacy attributed to economic performance. However, in an economic downturn, these states might seek to buttress their legitimacy by strengthening ideological, religious, historical, and ethnic identities. The assertive foreign policies of the Philippines and Vietnam in territorial disputes with China demonstrate such a bifurcation between regime legitimacy and international cooperation in Southeast Asia. Second, it is questionable to what extent the interlocking bilateral and multilateral financial and economic interests can increase trust and reassurance in the long run. For example, the recent escalation of the territorial dispute between China and Japan, a pair of most interdependent trading partners in the world, indicates that both states’ leaders do not hesitate to ratchet up tensions and even pursue low-intensity confrontations following domestic political considerations. Third, it is also debatable what kind of balancing policies the US has pursued in East Asia. In Chan’s view, the US prefers to be a “lone sheriff” to counterbalance a rising China. However, the Obama Administration has been actively pivoting to Asia, advancing closer military coordination with its Asian allies, and furthering its military deployment in the Asia-Pacific region. Obviously, many Asian states have welcomed the rebalancing policies of the US in the context of China’s rise. It is clear that there is an emerging US-led countervailing quasi-coalition against China in Pacific Asia. Overall, Chan’s book is analytically provocative and empirically rich. Not only is this book a helpful reference for a wide range of practitioners and scholars, but also a useful textbook for graduate students in US–China relations, East Asian international relations, and international relations theory courses. Sheng Ding is an associate professor of political science at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Hereceived his masters and doctoral degrees from Rutgers University. Dr. Ding teaches course on politics andAsia, information technology and world politics, international law and organizations, and internationalrelations in East Asia. He is the author of The Dragon’s Hidden Wings: How China Rises with its Soft Power(2008). His research articles have appeared in Pacific Affairs, Journal of Contemporary China, AsianPerspective, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, Journal of Asian and African Studies, East Asia, Journal ofChinese Political Science, and Journal of Information Technology and Politics.