Final Post: China-U.S. Relations

Throughout this semester my group and I focused on relations between China and the United States of America. As we found, choosing a topic and deciding which was of more importance to write about proved to be problematic every time. However after deciding what to focus on, in our first post we first gave some general background information on different stressors to China-U.S. relations. Some of the main reasons we listed were economic tensions due to China’s rapid economic growth after trade liberalization, political tensions due to different perspectives on the purpose of different policies, and China’s support of the Kim and Assad regimes. In our second post we then wrote about China’s recent advancements in ballistic missiles and the possible security issues that come up with the improved capabilities of both Chinese and U.S. weapons. In our third post we discussed the issue of cyber espionage and the potential security risks that arise with everything being done digitally nowadays. Lastly, in our fourth post we decided to turn things upside down and talk about environmental agreements that both China and the U.S. are making that are good steps in the direction towards a potentially stronger relationship.

            Before every blog post was due my group and I generally had the same format on how to tackle the assignment. We would choose one day that fitted into everyone’s schedule to meet and then crank it out at that time. In order to achieve the most accurate information possible, we used many different sources for our research such as the Washington Post, United Nations, the Daily People, as well as many other third-party sources both English and Chinese run. Each blog consisted of two parts, a three-paragraph summary followed by a three-paragraph analysis. By assigning one paragraph to each member of the group everyone was busy and could focus on devote their full attention to their part. Although everyone was would be working on their own section, we were still a group who helped each other out when needed. By having different perspectives and input on ideas I would have or questions I would ask really helped improve the blog as a whole and my view on the issues we talked about. For instance, when needed, we would edit and proof read each other’s work in order to have the most informational and comprehensible.

             I feel I have gained much throughout this semester specifically towards my major. As a BIAS student focusing on global politics in Asia this project has been nothing but beneficial to me. Before this blog I would never have found a reason to go more in depth from the perspective of the Chinese about the topics that we chose. By researching from Chinese run websites I was able to gain a new view on media bias and just how important it is to do thorough research. When it comes to group work, I will definitely look for groups of six or seven to either study or just work with due to all the perspectives and help that is provided. Working in a group helped keep me on task while at the same time I gained a lot by helping the group as well when needed. Overall, I believe this has been a very worthwhile project and that as a group and individually we have all grown to understand and be more knowledgeable in China-U.S. relations and that hopefully one day there will be total peace between both world nations.