중국의 연성균형전략과 미국 동맹･우방국과의 전략적 관계 형성

초록

This paper aims to examine how China’s soft-balancing strategy—distinct from existing approaches to soft balancing—has been manifested across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Northeast Asia, and to identify the common patterns underlying these regional cases. Conventional theories of soft balancing emphasize cooperation among a state’s own allies or partners as a key component of the strategy. In contrast, China’s soft-balancing strategy demonstrates a distinctive feature by prioritizing economic cooperation and relationship-building with the allies and partners of its primary competitor, the United States, regardless of regional context. In Southeast Asia and the Middle East, China’s soft-balancing strategy is primarily driven by the Belt and Road Initiative, serving as the central mechanism for expanding influence. In Northeast Asia, China advances its influence through both bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including measures such as visa-exemption policies and trilateral ministerial meetings among China, South Korea, and Japan. Through these approaches, China seeks to expand its regional influence while constraining the extension of U.S. influence. Ultimately, China’s soft-balancing strategy represents a long-term effort to construct a China-centered regional order by leveraging economic, diplomatic, and institutional networks, while deliberately avoiding direct military confrontation with the United States.

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