1st Edition

China's Coercion of States in the Asia-Pacific Region Balancing and Wedge Strategies in the Context of Sino-American Competition

By Maximilian Ernst Copyright 2025
286 Pages 11 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

286 Pages 11 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

286 Pages 11 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This book explains why China chooses to coerce Asia-Pacific regional states, despite the risk of such actions creating a backlash and complicating its strategic calculus. China’s coercion of neighboring states, often a variation of heavy informal economic sanctions combined with diplomatic pressure and gray-zone coercive measures, has been increasingly observable in the past decade. It has... Read more

1 Introduction  PART I | THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK  2 China’s Rise, Strategic Competition, and Existing Scholarship on Chinese Coercion  3 Theories of Balancing and Wedge Strategies  PART II | CASE STUDY 1: THE PHILIPPINES  4 The Philippine Challenge to China’s Military-Strategic Position in the South China Sea  5 Coercion and Inducements: Chinese Balancing Responses to the Philippine Challenge  PART III | CASE STUDY 2: SOUTH KOREA  6 THAAD Deployment: The South Korean Challenge to China’s Nuclear Deterrence  7 Coercion and Arms Procurements: Chinese Balancing Responses to the South Korean Challenge  8 Conclusion

Biography

Maximilian Ernst is Associate Researcher at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) at the Brussels School of Governance, Belgium.

"Why and how does China coerce other states, with a high risk of backlash? Ernst answers this important question with empirically rich case studies of China’s recent coercive policies toward South Korea and the Philippines. Policymakers and scholars alike will find valuable insights in this book."

Tongfi Kim, Professor in Asian Geopolitics and Korea Chair Senior Researcher, Brussels School of Governence, Belgium

"In this timely and policy-relevant study, Maximilian Ernst furnishes in-depth accounts of China’s coercion against South Korea and the Philippines in recent years. Drawing extensively from Chinese-language sources, he convincingly illustrates the logic behind Beijing’s coercive strategies. His appraisal of Chinese efforts to undermine U.S. alliances in the Indo-Pacific is a particularly valuable contribution to the Asian security studies field. For those seeking to discern what China’s rise means to the United States and the frontline states in the Western Pacific, read this book."

 Toshi Yoshihara, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, USA