US-China Relations

I thought this was an interesting article. I think that the current administration is realizing that the key factor in cooperation and dialogue, or lack thereof, is not always the US. Hopefully we our collective leadership is beginning to understand the value of diplomacy and dialogue (instead of an "us against the world" mindset) while at the same time is not afraid to defend American interests. I couldn't help but see some fairly scary paralells between the new nature of Sino-American relations and pre-World War I relations between Britain and Germany (a subject that I researched and wrote on in depth for my Historical Research Seminar). Like the US, Britain had begun to feel the strain of its vast global commitments and began to fear that the power it had during the 19th century was fading. Like China, Germany was anxious to take its place in the world among the other Great Powers. Particularly, Germany wanted to challenge British naval superiority (think of China and the development of its carrier-killer missile). The desire of the British to retain their 19th century glory and the desire of the Germans to finally claim a similar glory for themselves led to escalating tensions. Obviously the dynamics of the world are vastly different now as compared to then. Economics aside, China's main political/foreign policy ambitions are regional. So while the opportunity for cooperation exists since China is not determine to challenge the US all over the world as former the USSR did, there is plenty of room for conflict over the Pacific Rim. North Korea is the most glaring example, but Taiwan continues to be an object of conflict between the two countries. If the US continues to play an active role in East Asia as allies of South Korea and Japan (as I think they will for economic reasons/N. Korea) military tensions could rise. I think, thought, that the most important thing that both the Chinese and Americans need to avoid is the poison of nationalism.

Here's the article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12219993