Importantly, Rice argued that a more open economic system in China might help to facilitate political reform. But, Rice's caution regarding an increasingly open economic system was clear. Its military power is currently no match for that of the United States. But that condition is not necessarily permanent. What we do know is that China is a great power with unresolved vital interests, particularly concerning Taiwan and the South China Sea.
China resents the role of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region.
This means that China is not a 'status quo' power but one that would like to alter Asia's balance of power in its own favor. Rice also addressed the issue of 'one-China' and prospects for finding a lasting peace in the Taiwan Strait. However, she adds that while the U.S. is committed to a 'one-China' policy, it also requires that Beijing renounce the use of force against Taiwan. The longstanding U.S. commitment to a 'one-China' policy that leaves to a future date the resolution of the relationship between Taipei and Beijing is wise. But that policy requires that neither side challenge the status quo and that Beijing, as the more powerful actor, renounce the use of force.