【Abstract】 Since the establishment of Sino-U.S. diplomatic  relations in 1979, there have been always two kinds of logics behind  U.S. strategy to China, namely geopolitics and domestic politics. Since  we have known much about the former but are lack of studies on the  latter, this article will focus on the influence of the realignment of  U.S. domestic political coalitions on its China policy. The author  argues that during the three stages of U.S.-China relations since  1979-strategic triangular era (1979-1991), post-Cold War era (1992-2008)  and strategic competition era (2009-2018), America’s China strategies  had their own domestic foundations: at first, it was a Northeast-South  dominant political coalition that embraced engagement strategy towards  China; and after the Cold War, a new political structure, in which the  Democrats and their Northeast-West Coast Coalition preferred a liberal  way to engage China, meanwhile the Republicans and their South-Mid West  coalition preferred a realist way to engage China , became the new  normal; finally, since 2009, the so-called Obama coalition and Trump  coalition have adopted different approach to deal with a rising Chins  based on various domestic political bases. Therefore, U.S. domestic  politics is a useful tool to help us better understand its policies  toward China.  

【Keywords】 China-U.S. relations, coalition realignmen, U.S. politics, strategic competition, Trump coalition

【Author】 Wang Hao, Assistant Professor at the Center for American Studies, Fudan University