StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

American Foreign Policy-Making and the US Relations with China - Assignment Example

Cite this document
Summary
This paper “American Foreign Policy-Making and the US Relations with China” provides a wider perspective to the ‘draft document’ and contextualizes the policy of the US government towards China to the prevailing national and international political scenarios of the time…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.2% of users find it useful
American Foreign Policy-Making and the US Relations with China
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "American Foreign Policy-Making and the US Relations with China"

Write a 000-word essay about the value and limitations of the document in understanding American foreign policy-making and US relations with China (both Nationalist and Communist). Pay attention to the position, beliefs and assumptions of the author and other officials mentioned, the wider national and international contexts within which the report was written, etc. In addition, suggest other kinds of historical evidence that could make this source more informative. The ‘draft document’ prepared in the Policy Planning Council attempts to put into place a strong framework for relations between USA and China. It reflects some clear thinking in the US State Department in its understanding of issues related to China. Broadly put, the proposed policy aims to build a calibrated relationship with China but at the same time have a strong upper hand in this relationship. This paper provides a wider perspective to the ‘draft document’ and contextualizes the policy of the US government towards China to the prevailing national and international political scenarios of the time. The proposed policy rightly aims to assist the Chinese people by providing them with food stocks. The ‘Great Leap Forward’ beginning 1958 which was about simultaneous development of agricultural and industrial sectors, turned out to be a major economic disaster for China, leaving, by some estimates around 20 million dead. Providing China with much needed food relief and other humanitarian aid such as medical information and advanced warnings about natural disasters, in this scenario, would have indeed helped Chinese people (if not the Chinese Government) warm up to the Americans. What the proposed policy fails to take into account is that China has always been a ‘closed’ State. Even in 2008, in an era of internet and mobile phones, the Chinese people are largely dependent on government filtered sources of information (Jonathan Zittrain and Benjamin Edelman). Attempting to influence opinions of Chinese people in the 1960s would have only been tougher. By attempting to reward the Japanese and Indians, the proposed policy rightly aims to strengthen the nuclear capabilities, albeit for peaceful purposes, of China’s neighbours, and in turn, build a perception that China’s military capabilities are neither unique nor so strong as to push the smaller neighbours into China’s fold. The US strategy of containment of China is envisages the willingness of the smaller players such as Japan or larger ones such as India to become a pawn in the American game to keep China on the back foot. Obsessed with its preoccupation in preventing Communist China to emerge as a dominant power and Communism as a dominant ideology, the US, in its proposed policy imagines the potential scenario to be strong enough to bring closer traditional rivals such as India and Pakistan. In the process it forgets the depth of multi dimensional rivalry between the two nations. The US also overlooks the possibility of Chinese using these rivalries to its own advantage, which it did, by using Pakistan to bleed India. Nowhere was this manifested more clearly than (FAS) the fact that Pakistan obtained a pre-tested atomic bomb design and bomb-grade enriched Uranium from China. The American policy does not take into account the possibility of using Tibet as an issue to checkmate China on the international stage. (Dawning of a new era, par. 8) Neither does much thought gone into the fact that Soviets and the Chinese faced a steadily deteriorating relationship since the late 1950s and (par. 9). China’s fear of a possible Soviet invasion could have been played upon by the US and used to its advantage in containing China. Indeed, this was later one of the main reasons for Chinese attempt to seek rapprochement with United States. The proposed policy does not take into account the real and potential conflicts where US and China may find themselves on the opposite side of the divide. The Korean War was one such instance. However, the Vietnam War presented an odd scenario where the Chinese, despite being ideologically closer to North Vietnam, chose not to commit itself. The Soviet presence in North Vietnam brought forth Chinese resentment and despite being on opposite side of the divide as the US, would rather have the US win the war. The proposed policy rightly seeks to puts in place a framework of action to respond to the changing nature of Sino-US relationship. The soon to happen Vietnam War, the Indo-Pak War, the rise of capitalism as a dominant ideology across the world played a very important role in reshaping the US opinion on China. One of the major issues largely overlooked by the proposed US policy towards China is that of economic engagement. Economic interdependence has been successfully and very extensively used by the United States as a potential weapon to keep the partner nations in check, especially on matters relating to trade deals with countries it considered unfriendly. Nor does the draft policy consider the use of humanitarian aid as a tool to extract concessions from China in terms of its relations with Taiwan or its refusal to deal with Tibetans in a non-violent manner. In tune with times, the policy looks at relations largely from a military-nuclear perspective. The policy does mention in very broad terms about the need to study the different forms of pressure that could be applied on China in order to ensure it does not take an aggressive stance in dealing with its neighbours. Nor does it seek to identify the forces which could compel China to move from Communism to Capitalism. The death of more than 20 million people after the Cultural Revolution should have been used as a starting point by the US to compel the Chinese Government to move towards a more rewarding economic policy in form of capitalism. This should have been supplemented by efforts to help the Chinese Government set up proper educational systems, good infrastructure, health care systems and a strong private sector, which would have gone on to form the backbone of the Chinese economy. The linkages between these Chinese and American firms could have been then used by US to have better grip on the Chinese economy. Finally- The political system in China! The draft policy does not consider pushing for democracy in China. Countries with democratic systems tend to be more moderate in their approach in dealing with peripheral states and in their general approach to issues. Communist China has shown its aggression in India (1962) and Tibet (1959). (Sino-Indian War). There is no effort to identify the pro-democratic forces in China and to work out a strategy to strengthen their hands. This is the key to a long term change in US relationship with China. Works Cited “Dawning of a new era”- US China Policy Foundation, 1999, 30th April 2008 “Great Leap Forward” 30th April 2008 Jonathan Zittrain and Benjamin Edelman, “Empirical Analysis of Internet Filtering in China” Overview 30th April 2008 “Pakistan Nuclear Weapons- A chronology” 1980s- FAS (Federation of American Scientists) 30th April 2008 “Sino-India War” 30th April 2008 Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“American Foreign Policy-Making and the US Relations with China Assignment”, n.d.)
American Foreign Policy-Making and the US Relations with China Assignment. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/sociology/1546154-write-a-1000-word-essay-about-the-value-and-limitations-of-the-document-in-understanding-american-foreign-policy-making-and-us-relations-with-china-both-natio
(American Foreign Policy-Making and the US Relations With China Assignment)
American Foreign Policy-Making and the US Relations With China Assignment. https://studentshare.org/sociology/1546154-write-a-1000-word-essay-about-the-value-and-limitations-of-the-document-in-understanding-american-foreign-policy-making-and-us-relations-with-china-both-natio.
“American Foreign Policy-Making and the US Relations With China Assignment”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/sociology/1546154-write-a-1000-word-essay-about-the-value-and-limitations-of-the-document-in-understanding-american-foreign-policy-making-and-us-relations-with-china-both-natio.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF American Foreign Policy-Making and the US Relations with China

American Foreign Policy

The essay "american foreign Policy" focuses on the discussion of the main peculiarities of the american foreign policy under the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson.... nbsp;The dominant thrust of american foreign policy was the creation of a new world order based upon a core set of American ideals.... This sets out the direction in which american foreign policy was to be headed; it was to focus upon the propagation of basic human rights across the world since America was the sole champion of such rights and the progressive reforms taking place in the country were also to be echoed in foreign relations....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

US Foreign Policy and Oil

It shall also discuss unilateralism and the us foreign policy as well as the new world order.... For the most part, it has also supported the principles set… This chapter shall now discuss the us foreign policy and oil.... The use of oil in the us industries was prominent in the post-war era and this prompted the us to fear oil supply depletion.... the us was also concerned about oil supply being largely controlled by foreign interests like British Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell (Committee of Foreign Relations, 1975)....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

The US Foreign Policy Respond to China's Rise in 2000-2010

In essence, the ideology of american foreign policy has long been based on two concepts of “Whiteman's burden' and “manifest destiny'.... This essay discusses that the United States perceives china as a threat to its economic, military and political prowess and has instituted a foreign policy that aims at containing the perceived threat.... china and its spectacular economic rise as well as military modernization.... china's one-party dictatorship has proved to the main problem affecting United States' efforts to institute democratic principles in the country....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Proposal

Chinas Foreign Policy

From the paper "China's Foreign Policy" it is clear that after the political reform in 1978, China adopted foreign policies that were mainly focused on maintaining stable relations with other states in order to nourish a positive environment for the economic growth of the country.... nbsp;… China's policies such as its support to North Korea in its nuclear program and to Russia in the Ukraine crisis and China's military activities in the Southern Chinese Sea have further triggered the displeasure in the us sphere about China (Wang)....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

How to Help Americans Doing Business in China

The trend is set to grow even more significantly following china's latest decision to expand its export subsidies to important industries in the economy in an… Currently, china is among the best performing economies coupled with an expanding export market.... Consequently, china attracts entrepreneurs and foreign investments because of its growth and expanding opportunities.... Despite the growth experienced in china, there are several challenges that foreign investors and firms while trading in the country (Banerjee, 2015)....
15 Pages (3750 words) Assignment

The Value and Limitations of Diplomatic Documents

foreign Relations) as a source for understanding the formulation of American Policy towards china from both a nationalist and communist view Diplomatic documents can be defined as written documents sent by the… These diplomatic documents are majorly in the form of an official letter, note, memorandum or an aide-memoire.... policy towards china from a nationalist as well as a communist view.... The relationship between china and the U....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Was Deng Xiaoping's Foreign Policy a Success or a Failure

evelopment of Sino us relations: From the date of sworn in of George Bush in 1989 till the end of the two-term presidency of Bill Clinton Sino American relations took a dramatic change.... The rattling with the us is just a pressure increasing technique to safeguard its benefits and advantages.... nbsp; Though China fought with the us in Korea and in case of Taiwan in his period he was successful in being a strategic partner for the us and achieving MFN status for his country....
16 Pages (4000 words) Research Paper

Chinese Democracy and Change in the Chinese Perspective after the Cold War

There have been relations that have been rocky with countries and the relations with the USA have been rocky and the first few months of the Bush Junior presidency has been rocky with china as China has reacted angrily after it had shot down an American spy in the year 2001.... … The paper “America's Argument about china Democracy, Change in the Chinese Perspective after the Cold War» is a  great variant on essay on politics.... china was founded in 1949 and that china has always, especially over the past 20 years, observed the diplomatic thinking initiated by late Chinese leaders Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Deng Xiaoping....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us