미·중 전략경쟁 분석: 구조와 경쟁 그리고 대결

Abstract

The international community is currently facing new challenges and threats due to the strategic competition between the United States and China, unlike any experienced in the past. The prevailing international order stems from the influence of globalization that emerged alongside the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. However, as we enter the new century, the liberal international order has encountered significant challenges. There has been a necessity to redefine traditional security into a new concept, while financial and fiscal crises have proven difficult to address using existing prescriptions. Disruptions caused by developed Western nations led to an unexpected vacuum in the international system, swiftly filled by China. China, a significant beneficiary of liberal principles and a nation that rose from the public goods provided by the United States, began to demand a re-establishment of the international order as it progressed from its ascent to prominence. This demand negated the existing unipolar system, necessitating a re-adjustment of the current international order. Consequently, a new dynamic emerged between the existing hegemonic power, the United States, and the challenging force, China, under a multipolar system, resulting in the international community experiencing a new form of strategic competition. This paper aims to comprehend and analyze the strategic competition between the United States and China by categorizing it into structural analysis, competition fields, factors, and regional phenomena. It seeks to scrutinize the strategic competition between the United States and China while analyzing South Korea's security environment, responses, and choices in this context.