US-China Relations under Bush and Obama: Fill in the Blanks or It's the Structure, Stupid?

There are numerous studies of Sino-American relations during George W. Bush's tenure in office, but not many investigating it over the course of Barack Obama's stint in the White House. While there are quite a few comparisons of Bush Jr. and Obama's personalities, policies, and accomplishments, there are no systematic comparisons of their China policies. This article aims to rectify these deficiencies by providing detailed information about Obama's policies towards China and a comparison of the two presidents' China policies. It undertakes this comparison across five political, economic, and social issue areas. The first is Bush Jr. and Obama's respective stances towards the Taiwan issue. The second is their dealings with China in regard to security problems. The third is the policies of the two US presidents with respect to economic issues. The fourth is their human rights policies. The fifth is their China doctrines. This study concludes there is little to set apart the China policies of Bush Jr. and Obama despite these individual's many other differences. There are periods such as the two presidents' first years in office where China policy differences were stark, but on the whole the similarities between their policies are greater than the differences.