O processo de securitização das relações econômicas entre EUA e China na administração Trump (2017-2021): reflexões sobre a competição com a China na estratégia de segurança nacional dos Estados Unidos

Abstract

The archetype of power in the international system has, for centuries, formed through the conception of the balance of power between the Great Powers dominant in every period. The dynamics of power within the international order have thus changed. Given this, the most recent conflict is the Cold War (1947-1991). Thus, understanding International Relations since 1945 involves the construction of US thinking and, consequently, its Pax Americana. Given this, another factor is pertinent to understanding International Relations studies and the power dynamics since the end of the last century: the rise of China. Since 1949, the relationship between the US and China has gone through different patterns of cooperation and containment. In light of this, the Trump administration began a rhetorical shift towards China, as Trump made significant changes to US national security documents, characterizing China as a power that challenges the international order. Consequently, Trump has transformed the national security agenda. Given the above, this paper will focus on the following starting question: how was it possible to securitize trade relations with China during the Donald Trump administration (2017-2021), and what are the impacts of this securitization? With this in mind, the initial hypothesis of the work is that, throughout the Trump administration, there has been the use of a securitization that has built a discourse about China as a contesting power to US security. This analysis will use the theory and concepts of the Copenhagen School. The result is that the Trump administration has constructed a discourse on China, characterizing it as a contesting power to US security and, consequently, to international security. Hence, Trump's securitizing movement towards China.