How Can the United States Shape Chinese Nonproliferation Behavior?
In many respects, U.S. long-term efforts to shape Chinese nonproliferation in positive directions have been remarkably successful. Although serious concerns remain, Chinese proliferation behavior has improved significantly over the last decade. As the first section suggested, U.S. expectations of what China should do in the realm of nonproliferation policy have increased significantly in the aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. As the United States pushes China to move beyond compliance with international standards to accommodate specific U.S. security interests, tensions with China over nonproliferation issues are likely to increase. Sanctions remain a useful nonproliferation policy tool, albeit one that must be used carefully. It is unrealistic to expect economic sanctions to force China to act in ways counter to its fundamental security interests. However sanctions are still useful as a way to illustrate U.S. concerns about proliferation and as leverage to push China to block sp
