This edited volume examines the evolution of U.S. foreign policy toward the People’s Republic of China from the early Cold War to the contemporary era of strategic competition. Bringing together perspectives from international relations, political economy, and security studies, it traces the shift from containment to rapprochement and, more recently, to sustained geopolitical rivalry across military, technological, economic, and diplomatic domains.

Structured in three parts, the book first periodizes U.S.–China relations across successive presidential administrations, offering historically grounded analyses of policy continuity and change from 1953 to the present. It then addresses key themes including great-power competition, trade conflict, techno-military rivalry, and competing theoretical frameworks such as realism, power transition theory, and constructivism. The final section situates bilateral relations within broader regional and global contexts, with particular attention to Taiwan, the Indo-Pacific, and the implications of the Russia–Ukraine war for deterrence, alliance politics, and global order.

By integrating historical analysis with contemporary policy debates, the volume provides a nuanced account of how U.S.–China relations shape—and are shaped by—shifting patterns of globalization, economic interdependence, and security competition. It highlights the enduring role of strategic ambiguity, alliance formation, and domestic political considerations in foreign policy decision-making. Consequently, this book will be of interest to scholars and advanced students of international relations, foreign policy analysis, Asian studies, and security studies, as well as policymakers and practitioners seeking to understand the dynamics of great-power competition in the twenty-first century.

Sabella Ogbobode Abidde is a tenured full professor of political science and member of the graduate faculty at Alabama State University, US, where he teaches courses in comparative politics, international relations, African politics and institutions, US foreign policy, senior seminar classes, and the politics of developing nations.