Japanese newspaper, he touted the concept of "putting allies first." He has also called for the establishment of a "concert of democracies" and continued support for the "democratic partnership" of the United States, Japan, Australia and India. U.S. leadership in international organizations should not change, he said, adding that no international organization with U.S. participation can replace U.S. leadership in the world.

McCain's policy toward China exemplifies the mainstream Republican position. If he is elected, he is likely to continue Bush administration's policy on China. The United States and China are not "destined to be adversaries" because they have a wide range of common interests, he said. He hopes that bilateral relations develop in a mutually beneficial manner. He welcomes a peaceful and prosperous China and, more importantly, a "democratic" China. He has made it clear that the United States should convince China that integrating into the world peacefully is in its best interests.

He wrote in China Brief that getting America's relationship with China right would be a central challenge. China's rapid economic growth has lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese out of poverty, energized the economies of neighboring countries and created manifold new opportunities, he noted. "The United States shares common interests with China that can form the basis of a strong partnership on issues of global concern, including climate change, trade and proliferation," he wrote. "The next American president must build on the areas of overlapping interest to forge a more durable U.S.-China relationship."

McCain criticizes China for its family planning policy, policy on Tibet and military modernization. He called on the Chinese Government to release "Tibetan political prisoners" while meeting with the Dalai Lama shortly before the Beijing Olympics. Last spring, both McCain and Obama said Bush should consider boycotting the Olympic opening ceremony.

McCain has consistently supported a closer relationship with Taiwan. He even issued a statement urging the Bush administration to add submarines and F-16 aircraft to the new arms package. In his October 7 statement, McCain said, "We should seek cooperative and productive relations with China that proceed in a spirit of confidence, and we should promote the improvement of cross-straits relations. As we do, however, we should understand that the possibility of productive ties between Taiwan and China is enhanced, not diminished, when Taipei speaks from a position of strength." He concluded that the United States must "stand by this remarkable free and democratic people."

Hedging policy

The great changes in the international power structure have rendered unilateralism invalid. Despite Obama's vows to replace Bush's unilateralism with multilateralism and McCain's commitment to a more coordinated approach to diplomacy, the three men share a number of common visions: upholding U.S. leadership in the international arena, strengthening the U.S.-led alliance system, promoting human rights, democracy and religious freedom, creating and expanding a democratic alliance and adopting a hedging policy toward China and Russia.

Both Obama and McCain have downplayed China-related topics in their campaigns, an indication of their broad consensus on U.S. policy toward China and their recognition of Bush's China policy framework. Obama's foreign policy team, however, may not use the language of that framework when devising his policy toward China. Jeffrey Bader, Obama's China advisor, prefers "competition" and "cooperation" to "engagement" and "precaution." Despite this difference in wording, Democrats and Republicans share the philosophy and framework of Bush's policy toward China in general.

Both parties also tend to hedge against China on the issues of Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang by supporting a U.S.-dominated security system and enhanced U.S. military deployment in China's neighborhood. These will pose major challenges to the China-U.S. partnership in the years to come.