U.S. - China relations since 1970 to present - Term Paper Example

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Both US and China differ on their ideologies and also do not possess similar economic and political views. They in fact come together for strategic necessity. The US side is filled with suspicion about China’s intentions and its strategies on economic, political & military fronts. The Chinese side on the other hand considers US as a threat to their communist ideology. US always pressurize China in the areas of human rights, economic and military sanctions. China though not always interested in ideological quarrel is forced to do so by the western ideology followed by the US. Therefore US-China relationship has developed on the parameters of mistrust and non-declarative thoughts along with military capacity building aimed against each other (Guo, 2010, p2). The US was basically a result of the convergence of the North American, European and African cultures. It mainly developed from small and struggling settlements to more thriving and populous colonies between 17th and 18th century facilitated by the exploitation of natural resources of North America. The commercial and cultural exchanges throughout Europe, Africa and the America led to the creation of the modern world (Winkler, Mires & Pestana, 2006, pp. 7-13). Initially during the period of Opium war in China the US was trying to disrupt and destabilize China’s communist government. The US considered China an aggressive power and threat to the non-communist countries. The US stationed military troops down the eastern and southern boundaries of China. During this period the US also engaged in the war in Vietnam. The US formed alliances with Japan, South Korea and the Nationalist government on Taiwan and encouraged them not to develop diplomatic relations with Beijing. The US also restricted American’s entry into China. The US was in fact tougher on China than other communist rivals. It pursed a “wedge” strategy which was aimed to encourage a separation between the two communist allies (Nathan & Ross, 1997). More than 90% of the Americans held unfavorable images about China; considered the nation as threat to US security. The American concepts of individual liberty, political pluralism and economic opportunity were alien to China. China was marked by Cultural Revolution trying to inculcate ideals of collectivism, asceticism among its people and facing continuous class struggle. China thought US to be beneficial on economic and political front. But Americans considered China an irrational power as their support for revolutionary movements proved to be dangerous to US (Harding, 1992, p.3). Therefore it was particularly a period of the formation of new ideas. US- China (1970-1989) Beginning from 1970 the relation between US and China was found to be versatile and multileveled. The two nations began to move closer to each other. The Americans on the one hand were trying to end their Vietnamese war while China was seeking support on account of its resistance to the pressure from Soviet Union (Nathan & Ross, 1997). Soviet Union was a direct threat to the security of China. Due to Soviet Union gaining an advantageous position in the global arena against the US compelled a reconciliation between the US and China. Both the countries started coordinating their strategic postures and united their military assets against Soviet expansion. Some Chinese leaders including Mao were interested in resuming cultural and ...Download file to see next pagesRead More