Papers

It is widely recognized, both internationally and domestically, that the U.S. and China bilateral relationship is one of the most important, if not the most important, bilateral relationship of the twenty-first century. China's rising status as an economic and political heavyweight in the international sphere and the United State's position as the single remaining superpower means that it is necessary that the two states engage in open and friendly dialogue to promote consensus on shared concerns.

The United States currently is the largest world economic power. China currently has the fastest growing economy in history. Despite the fact that this foreboding competition may be a productive boost to the world's economy, it may also present problematic hostilities.

With military technologies becoming ever more devastating in an already too violent age, a cold war between superpowers is a mistake that cannot be repeated.

China's emergence on the global stage is a major event in recent years. America, as the only superpower left in the world, has strength in high technology and service, and its military power is also obvious. The relationship between these two countries might become the most important single relationship of the new century. Establishing a cooperative and unprejudiced relationship is critical to bringing mutual benefit to the U.S. and China in their long-term development.

Issues surrounding the political policies of China are many. From the American point of view, China is not seen in a good light. A number of scandals have surfaced ranging from the massive recalls of Chinese goods, to the negative environmental impact China is having on its neighbors and the rest of the world because of its massively growing economy.

China's continuous and prolific economic development in the last 15 years has concerned many U.S. policymakers. Some see China's economic and political rise as a threat that needs to be contained. Others find that the accommodation of China as a global player is a key factor in avoiding military conflicts and instability in Asia. There are several reasons why China's rise can be seen as a threat including the lack of protection for intellectual property rights, deliberate currency undervaluation, and weapons sales to U.S. opponents - North Korea and Iran, which pose a national security threat.

As China experiences exponential industrialization and modernization, its growth has caught the attention of developed nations - the United States in particular. By gaining the favor of foreign governments, China has obtained access to resources considered necessary to sustain its excelling economy. Supporting the economy are the same energy and resources that the United States is constantly vying for, leaving both countries prone to competition and hostility.

In an era of increasing globalization, the United States and China have developed an economic relationship that ties the fate of our economies together. China's success in developing its own country depends on foreign investment and international trade. China must maintain a positive trade deficit to increase its tax base and stimulate its economic growth. In order to achieve this, China must suppress both the value of the Yuan and the income of its factory workers. Without a substantial middle class, China is dependent on foreign consumers for Chinese products. As the annual trade deficit between the US and China has grown from approximately 10 billion in 1990 to over 260 billion in 2006 (census.gov) tensions between the two countries have grown with it.

One month ago, I participated in a seminar in Long Beach which was arranged by a non-profit organization called the US-China Peoples Friendship Association*. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the aspects of diplomatic relations between the US and China. The main discussion topic of this seminar was the recent trend of Chinese officials studying in the US in their specific professional fields.

Two guest speakers, both local officials from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) talked briefly about what their purpose was in receiving this training. Unfortunately, partly due to their limited English, I couldn't fully grasp what their core reasons were for this training and what the CPC's expectations were.

There are those who feel that China's emergence as a global powerhouse is a threatening prospect for the United States to consider. People can justify a claim like this only if they believe that the United States of America is not committed to the further development of bilateral trade relations with China. The United States has sent no such signal. In fact, the United States was the primary facilitator in China's accession to the WTO indicating that they would prefer China to be a partner and not a threat.