Since the emergence of the Mao’s communist state, China has been noted as an ever- growing threat to America’s economic and ideological superiority. The relationship between these two nations is one of the most important in the 21st century, particularly evident in economic and military correspondence between the two countries. Since the founding of the modern Chinese state (communistic), started by Mao in 1949, the relationship between China and the US has fluctuated between tense distrust and a lukewarm affiliate. The relationship was especially stressed during the Korean War and time of conflicts in Vietnam. Under Deng Xiaoping's pressure to embrace capitalism and open to the west, an economic connection was build between China and the US. Since then associations have improved, but even so, there are still conflicts between the two countries today. Cyber espionage, violations of human rights, and ideological differences are the prevalent tensions between China and the US today.
We will begin our historical review of the Chinese-US relationship in the mid 1920s. China was entrenched in a horrendous civil war that split the country in two: communist vs. nationalists. Beginning in 1926, this conflict was bloody and ruthless. The communists, led by Mao Zedong, fought using guerrilla tactics and building off the support of peasants and farmers. The nationalists were backed by the United States. This is often cited as the beginning of hostile relationships between the Chinese communists and the US government. Following the Communist victory in 1950, the nationalist forces retreated to Taiwan and the US formally refused to recognize the authority of the communist government. Both during the Korean War and later in the Vietnam conflict, these two rival ideological camps butted heads. Beginning with Richard Nixon in the late 1960s, the US pursued a relatively better relationship with China. Since that time, Chinese and US economic activities have been heavily intertwined. While China offers a source of cheap labor and raw materials to American based companies, the US provides a large market for the Chinese to sell their goods. Most recently, there has been concern about the massive amount of Chinese debt the US has been accumulating--$1.2 billion in total. 
The emergence of China on the world stage has had a number of implications for the future of international relations. Since the era of trade liberalization under Deng Xiaoping, China’s state led industrial might continue to grow at an unprecedented rate–and with it, the global economy becomes increasingly intertwined with China’s. Because China’s domestic goals of value-added, export driven growth rely so heavily on certain regions and their resources, they view their expanded role in international politics as necessary to their national interest. At the same time, political and economic friction have put China at odds with the Western sphere of influence and has prevented a consensus from being reached on a number of pertinent issues. While China believes this tension to be borne out of a Western desire to contain China, Western policy makers perceive it to be a rational reaction to China’s challenging of the longstanding world order. Conflicts as geographically diverse as those in Syria, Iran, Ukraine and North Korea are all greatly impacted by China’s foreign policy because of the intense impact China has on the rest of the world. Countries heavily rely on China to successfully supply them with both economic and political needs. Both China and Russia’s support of the Kim and Assad regimes in the way of investment and arms have created a major counterweight to the US hegemony. The proliferation of Chinese made weapons throughout the Middle East and Africa–even in the face of UN sanctions–has fueled numerous sectarian conflicts in those regions. Similarly, Chinese bonds, rendering the sanctions counter-productive, may soon fill Russia’s capital void–left in the wake of US and European sanctions following Crimea–. China also holds a large degree of political leverage over the Western order because of it's permanent membership on the UN Security Council. In the past, they have used this power to veto resolutions that would have condemned the Assad regime and have also threatened to use it against sanctions on North Korea. 
China and the US do not always butt heads, however. The willingness of China to cooperate on issues of economic and environmental importance such as the cutting of carbon emissions and bilateral trade agreements is a prime example. As a consequence of China's highly integrated economy, they realize that it is in their best interest to maintain good relations both with their neighbors and their trading partners (and vice versa). Hopefully this paradigm will be enough to keep China and the West from direct confrontation. Whatever the case, it is becoming increasingly apparent that these two superpowers cannot help but interact in the future. Whether these interactions will be negative or positive rests on the ability of both sides to compromise and respect one another’s cultural differences.
By: Kevin, Sophie, Luca, Imani, Corey, Miles
Citations:
-Grill, B. (1998, May 8). Meria. Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://www.gloria-center.org/meria/1998/05/gates.pdf
-Haiyang, J. (2012, March 8). My turf my
tariff. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
-Hachigian, N. (2014). Debating China:
The US China relationship in ten conversations. New York, NY [u.a.: Oxford
Univ. Press.
-Korby, B. (2014, June 19). Russia's $20
Billion Bond Void Filled by Nations From China to Mexico. Retrieved October 17,
2014.
-Lynch, C. (2006, July 13). China Vows to Veto North Korea Sanctions. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
-Sino-U.S. relations in pictures. (2008, July 11). Retrieved October 17, 2014, from http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/zt/xw/sinous/t532311.htm
-United
Nations Security Council - Veto List. (2014, September 14). Retrieved October
17, 2014.
-U.S.-China Chronology - Issues - Countries -
Office of the Historian. (2014, May 11). Retrieved October 17, 2014.
-U.S.
Relations with China. (2012, September 20). Retrieved October 17, 2014.
-Lynch,
C. (2012, August 15). China's Arms Exports Flooding Sub-Saharan Africa.
Retrieved October 17, 2014.
I think the post was a good way to explain the origin of how the relationship between the US and China started. The relationship has never been entirely positive or peaceful, and I think it's really important to showcase that we, as a nation, have always had issues with China.
ReplyDeleteChina and the U.S.'s relationship has gotten to the point where they both rely on each other to maintain normal function. The U.S. needs China for its manufacturing, and China in turn needs the U.S. for its business, creating a reliance. While this relationship may not be symbiotic, with sweat shops and labor disputes, it is clear that the relationship exists. Also, while the U.S. claims to be a larger superpower, it seems that the reverse may be true, with China practically owning our country in U.S. debt.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this post was well put together and very informative. It shows just how complicated international relations between powers such as China, the U.S, Russia, North Korea, etc., are.
ReplyDelete