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

?Running Head: US-CHINA RELATIONS US-China relations since 1970 to present US-China relationship is somewhat odd in nature as each side considers the other, neither a friend nor a foe. Despite frequent collisions from both ends, the relationship stands out to be very important for each of the nations. There are ups and downs in the relationship which influences each side to adopt non-conventional approaches to deal with the uneasy and turbulent relation. Though the exact nature of the relationship is not definitely predicted but is clearly evident that both sides do not have complete trust on the other. 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 economic ties with the US. Mao and Zhou wanted China to end the self imposed isolation of Cultural Revolution and wanted China to acquire foreign technology necessary for economic renovation. The improved relationship proved to be advantageous as this would provide the prerequisite for the purchase of advanced American equipment and also facilitate import of similar technology from the western allies. People in US being aware of the renewal of economic and cultural ties with China started finding opportunities to teach, preach and travel there. Since 1971-72 the relationship went through massive transformation from confrontation to collaboration and reestablishing high-level official contact. Thus the relationship developed on the verge of the memories of rancorous past, providing a complex blend of common and competitive interests with the hopes for favorable future. The new ties therefore developed on an uncertain footing and were hampered by the absence of formal diplomatic relations and the closed nature of Maoist China. The relationship was characterized by the oscillatory pattern of progress and stagnation, crisis and consolidation. Though growth with respect to trade was rapid but direct American investment was still not possible in China. During 1975-76, resurgence of radicalism in Chinese domestic and foreign policies led to decline of trade and cultural exchanges, the high level contacts became more contentious and there was a sense of stagnation. By the end of 1978, there was reestablishment of formal diplomatic ties which marked the revival of relationship. There were emergence of new leaders that provided the flexibility and commitment to push the relationship forward. The US acknowledged Taiwan to be a part of China (Harding, 1992). With this prospect it withdrew all US forces and military operations from Taiwan. On this basis the un- official relations between both the nations began to develop i.e trade, educational and cultural exchanges became more elaborate. The carter administration in the US helped to meet the China’s conditions for the establishment of official relations. It removed the American forces from the end of the island, ended the mutual defense treaty with Taipei. This compromise led to normalization of the US-China relationship which attracted many criticisms in both the countries. With complete normalization their relationship entered a second cycle of progress. There were major breakthroughs in economic and strategic ties between 1978 and 1980. Then there was disenchantment as in order to avoid excessive dependency on the US China favored to follow a more independent foreign policy. But there was again irritation in the mutual disillusionment on every dimension of the relationship. Fortunately, with the efforts of the Chinese and American leaders a serious rupture in the relationship was avoided. In 1982 the two countries reached an understanding on the parameters of American arms sales to Taiwan; relaxation of the restrictions on the transfer of advanced technology to China. With the above issues being partially settled the two nations found it easier to deal flexibly with other irritants in their bilateral relationship. In 1984-85, a more open China greatly facilitated the quantitative and qualitative expansion more extensive than the earlier two decades. Trade rose nearly 20 times. Investment which has been almost non-existent amounted to $2billion. But this extensive relationship remained highly fragile. There were confrontations on the issues ranging from human rights to economics. The intellectuals of China belonging to Younger generations viewed the US as a model that could aid in restructuring the political and economic institutions of their country. As a result China became more attractive to the Americans. But suddenly the political crisis in China in mid-1989 that led to the establishment of an unstable and illegitimate government made China a much less attractive location for American investment, scholarship or tourism. Changes in the international environment in the late 1980s and early 1990s reflected the impact of China’s domestic crisis on the US-China relation (Harding, 1992, pp.4-16). US- China relation (1989 to 2000) year 1989 witnessed one of the most dramatic crisis in the history of China that influenced Chinese- American understanding, the Tiananmen tragedy. The violence of Tiananmen brought about significant changes in Chinese and American policies leading to anxieties and frustrations in both countries. This and other developments in the post cold war era made the US-China relations difficult to manage. There were institution of normal diplomatic relations leading to open market policies and the period also evidenced struggle between the revolutionary groups. During this time the domestic issues in China attracted more attention than the international concerns. The unrest in Taiwan Strait created danger of direct Sino- American military conflict. However, post cold war, both US and China concentrated their attention on economic growth. The Gulf war in 1991 led to military revolution creating impact on US-China relations. Moreover gaps were created in China’s own military capabilities as well as in that of the US throughout the 1990s. Therefore, US- China relation developed on three parameters, global level characterized by international issues; domestic level characterized by internal affairs, politics , ideologies and opinions of the people of the both the nations. The third level refers to the impact of bilateral relations (Lampton, 2002, pp.2-4). The US-China relations (2001 to present) US-China relationship between 1989 and 2009 saw marked progress in revolutionary strength. The two countries cooperated on the issue of working for the peace in Korea while issues like human rights policies, China’s huge trade surpluses with the US, sale of missiles to Middle East still remains unresolved. China’s major concern regarding US involves its sales of arms to Taiwan and its global foreign policy which is more self-centered thereby neglecting the interest of other nations. (Nathan & Ross, 1997) The financial crisis of 2008-2009 enabled the two countries to come together but bilateral relations declined after the Copenhagen Conference of December 2009 though there were assumptions that both the countries were engaged reshaping the global economy. After the financial crisis China was regarded a developed nation capable of taking international responsibilities as other developed economies. Therefore China also emerged as a super power. The US now expects China to share its responsibilities on international security such as Chinese military support for the Afghanistan war. China and US now cooperate in a much broader sense with a common goal to ensure a much stable and prosperous environment around the world. They should further strengthen their bonds to tame the challenges in order to foster universal peace amidst a much prosperous and secured ambience (Yan, 2010, pp. 263-292). The present scenario depicts that US is working towards building of deeper and broader relationship with China. The G-20 summit held on 1st April 2009 has helped in solidifying the relationship wherein emphasis has been laid by both the nations in the exchange of positive messages. The launch of “Central China Rises” strategy by the Chinese government in 2006 led to the promotion of economic and social exchanges thereby calling for US investors in Central China. On part of private sector US has become the 5th largest source of international investment. Even the academic and cultural ties have strengthened between US-China. Principal academic and cultural institutions in Central China have continuing educational exchanges and joint collaborations with American institutions of higher education and private endowments. A positive and comprehensive bilateral relationship between US-China will help to enhance future progress and prosperity of the entire world (Lyle, 2009). The ongoing problems in the US financial system have placed China in a crucial position to tackle the US economic problems. China provides a large supply of foreign exchange capital to US. The central government of China is a huge market for US Treasuries and Debts. Therefore, China can be assumed as a vital player in forming a new financial system though its approach to international economic policy still remains ambiguous (Dumbaugh, 2009, p.4). The main area of suspect between US-China lies in the area of military and security issues. On 9th March 2009, PRC ships and aircrafts from South China Sea were found to be aggressive towards two US Navy ships operating in that region as mentioned in the Pentagon report. This incident created risk for China’s expansion of military operations across the areas of US military vigilance. US is also apprehensive about China’s exchange rate policies. U.S. blames China for its unfair subsidies on some of its export items. China has failed to meet up few commitments of the WTO in protecting Intellectual Property rights which has raised the eyebrows on the US front creating complicacy in china’s bilateral trade. Tibet’s present political position is a sensitive issue for US-China relations. On the other hand Taiwan is another complex issue that might lead to US-China conflict resulting in incorporation of Taiwan into Chinese province either peacefully or by the application of force. The PRC-Taiwan talks being resumed under US administration lead by president Obama, served to reduce cross-strait tensions. In May 2008 Taiwan had engaged in joint efforts with PRC to provide disaster relief measures after the Sichuan earthquake. While US were busy with its military involvements in Iraq and Afghanistan, China’s international engagements have called for US introspection. China over the recent years has entered into numerous bilateral agreements and partnerships excluding the US. But China’s approach is limited in those areas where US stands stronger. China has inadequate private sector investment incidence across the world. China is emerging as a competitor for accessing energy resources from the Middle East. Due to increased demand for energy resources China’s “carbon emissions” has doubled between 1980 and 2003. Therefore there are several indications to support the fact that China is competing with US both on economic and political aspects in the international arena. US and China have engaged in “Strategic Economic Dialogue” as a measure to reduce “carbon emissions”. Both the countries have also agreed to support “renewable energy technology” (Dumbaugh, 2009, pp.5-20). Human Rights issue is another controversial subject in the US-China relationship. China violates several aspects of the human rights. China however argues that it has favorable human rights record as it has the capacity of providing food, cloth, education and medical care to its enormous size population entirely financed by the government (Nathan & Ross, 1997). Conclusion Therefore one finds that US has always maintained a fragile relationship with China. China actually needs the American market for its labor-demanding industries while US is the market for China’s cheap products to maintain the high living cost of the people of US (Yan, 2010, pp. 263-292). The genuine interests of China are accounted by US and it incorporates China into the multilateral global community. This would influence in the development of cooperative and friendly relationship between the two powers. Also massive changes in the global arena and interdependence among the different international systems might pave the way for a diplomatic power transition n the 21st century. Expansion of contacts between US-China has strengthened their bilateral relations and I viewed to the strongest in the world. The linkages being widened have prevented the leaders in taking radical actions against each other. China’s admission into the WTO is in fact a vital example of extension of US support and mutual aid towards China. Both have a major role to play in the reduction of pressure in the bilateral relations over Taiwan (Zhu, 2006, pp.181, 183). The bilateral ties between US-China are argumentatively the most important and substantial in the 21st century. Their bilateral relationship has experienced turbulence. US on the one hand is a dominant power while China is a challenging power. This power disparity leads to dissatisfaction and opens the window of war. However, scope for decision making arises in the areas of International system, domestic politics and opinions of leaders thereby paving the way for either war or peace. US with its outsized military, economic and technological periphery still remain the only superpower in international dealings. But other powers are also emerging rapidly thereby posting a challenge to America’s worldwide leadership. Therefore distribution of power remains a debatable issue in world politics. Among all the potential powers, China is emerging as the most credible competitor against the US dominance in the global interactions. Therefore it is crucial for US to consider China as its equal partner by giving recognition to its interests. China now behaves more sensibly in global and provincial affairs. Its responsible policies during the financial crisis of1998 gained widespread applauses. Again its fundamental role in minimizing tensions on Korean peninsula and South Asia helped in achieving appreciation and respect. Also China’s support for combating global terrorism remains very important for US and other international communities. US is required to inspire China in participating in an open-global market economy. It should also recognize China’s apprehensions over political steadiness, national harmony and state autonomy. The basic problem lies in the fact China is still not accepted a major power by the US and other western nations. Lack of communal belief between the two powers is bothersome and should be seriously attended by the political leaders and common people. Gradually over 30 years US-China relationship has become strong enough to bear up major shocks. Through meetings and conversations between the presidents of both the countries along with that of Chinese foreign minister and US secretary of state, both the countries have started to engage in tactical dialogs at the ministerial level. Both the nations have become mature enough to resolve their mutual conflicts thereby preventing direct military actions against each other. China‘s foreign policy reflect that China has transformed from an aggressive supremacy to an assertive power. It now emphasizes on the importance of cooperation and mutual progress (Zhu, 2006, pp. 167,170-172, 174,177-179). Though U.S. was the world’s richest capitalist country and China was one of the world’s poorest communist nations, but today China has surpassed US in several aspects. Today China has the world’s largest economy and has ensured faster rate of economic growth and development. Though both US-China are facing many common challenges in the period of rapid globalization and growing tactical interdependence but successful collaboration can be developed on a wide range of issues ranging from specific bilateral and international issues to the issues of strategic importance to both sides, such as counter terrorism and non- proliferation. This would serve to reduce the persistent qualms of each other’s deliberate intentions and would pave the way for the development of normal relations between the two nations (Guo, 2010, p. 4). References Dumbaugh. K. (2009). China-U.S. Relations: Current Issue and Implications for U.S. Policy, retrieved on 7th May from: http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/122294.pdf Guo, S & Guo, B (2010). 30 Years of China U.S Relations. The United Kingdom : Lexington Books Harding, H (1992). A Fragile Relationship: The United States and China since 1972. Washington, D.C : The Brookings Institution Lampton. D (2002). Same Bed Different Dreams – Managing US – China Relations,1989-2000 . California: University of California Press Lyle. W (2009). Current U.S-China Relationship and Central China, retrieved on 7th May from: http://wuhan.usembassy-china.org.cn/speeches/current-u2.s.-china-relationship-and-central-china Nathan. A , & Ross .R (1997).Asia For Educators, retrieved on 4th May 2013 from : http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_1950_us_china.htm Winker. Mires. C & Pestana .C (2006). The American People. New York: Pearson Longman Yan, X .(2010). The Instability of China – US Relations . Retrieved on 3rd May 2013 from: http://cjip.oxfordjournals.org/content/3/3/263.full#sec-3 Zhu.Z (2006). US-China Relations in the 21st century: Power Transition and peace. London : Routledge Read More