The “Gray Zone” Conflicts in China- U.S. Relations: From a Geopolitical Perspective

Abstract

The “gray zone”, referring to actions below the threshold of war, is also known to as hybrid threats, sharp power, political warfare, malign influence, irregular warfare, and modern deterrence. Recently, there has been a good deal of discussion about China- U.S. “gray zone” conflicts. These conflicts can be best characterized as activity that is coercive and aggressive in nature, but that is deliberately designed to beyond conventional military conflict and open interstate war. Although the United States and China are highly interconnected in many ways, the U.S. government has deployed extensive and diverse gray zone tactics against China, seriously infringing upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The United States’ position on the South China Sea, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Japan and South Korea are best understood as a gray zone conflicts. These conflicts heavily undermine strategic stability, disrupt policy-making, and cause unintended escalation, causing “gray zone challenges” to both China and the United States. However, these challenges are difficult for the two government to address in today’s complex and competitive international environment. Through a geopolitical perspective, this paper aims to offer a deep understanding of the complex gray zone conflicts within China-U.S. relations and provide feasible recommendations for Chinese government to counter U.S. gray zone aggression.