Today it is rather difficult to discuss the US-China relations from one point of view with accentuating only positive aspects of the countries’ relationship which can lead to the effective cooperation or with focusing only on the misunderstandings between the countries which contribute to the development of the competition between the US and China.
The problem of the character of the relations between the US and China is one of the key questions which are actively discussed on the threshold of the election of 2012. Is China a strategic partner or a strategic competitor of the US?
Although the US and China do not base their relations on the principles of the open confrontation and seek for the effective cooperation in dealing with many international and domestic questions, there are a lot of aspects according to which the countries cannot reach the mutual understanding under the influence of the rapid growth of China and determining its strong position at the global arena.
That is why it is possible to speak about the US-China relations as tending to a kind of competition or rather suspicious relations as opposite to the situation of the possible partnership. Moreover, the state of affairs can change tomorrow with references to the changes in the world policy and economy.
The relations between the US and China have a long history and can be discussed as difficult with accentuating the peculiarities of the policies provided by the US and Chinese governments during different periods of time. The US as the most powerful country in the world was always inclined to control the situation in the globe economy and policy referring to establishing the international relations with the other countries.
Analysts also observe the tendencies of the US to control the situation in relations with China. However, today to control the peculiarities of China’s strategy is difficult because of the country’s rapid economic progress (Sutter, 2010). Politicians from the both countries do not concentrate on the possible conflict in the relations and accentuate the aspects for the further cooperation.
Nevertheless, the pressure in the US-China relations is obvious, and it is explained by the misunderstandings in providing the policy connected with such issues as trade questions, energy problem, human rights, and Taiwan problem (Sutter, 2010).
If the competition in the field of the economic powerfulness can be considered as rather questionable because of the quite different positions of the countries, the issues mentioned earlier can be discussed as influential for the development of the US-China relations on the principles contradicting to the mutual cooperation.
Analyzing the character of the relations between the US and China, it is important to determine the factors which contribute to the development of the relations between the countries as potential partners or as potential competitors.
Thus, both countries are inclined to develop the effective partnership in the field of fighting with terrorism and providing the cooperation on the global environmental issues and the questions of the peace and stability. These problems are not connected directly with the economic issues and allow solving the questions favorably for the both countries.
However, such factors as the rapid economic growth of China which results in the increase of the country’s influence on the foreign states, and particularly on the US, is crucial for complicating the relations. “China’s rise is having a large and complex impact on the United States and Asia, and on various global issues” (Lieberthal & Pollack, 2012).
Moreover, the expanding military potential of China and misunderstandings on Taiwan problem and the role of the US in the conflict contribute to the development of the countries’ mutual suspicions (Garrett, 2006).
The difficulties in the US-China relations can be also explained by the countries’ lack of knowledge on the question of their strategic intentions. Thus, today the US makes accents on the fact that it is necessary to develop the dialogue between the countries in order to determine the priorities in their relations and focus on the establishment of the long-term cooperation in order to avoid the possible conflicts and misunderstandings.
The US and China are interested in the development of these relations and state that they are strategically important (Sutter, 2010). Nevertheless, a number of controversial questions according to which the views of the governments in both countries are different can prevent the US and China from implementing the healthy relations based on the principles of cooperation.
To establish the effective long-term relations, it is significant to achieve the successful solution of the economic and military questions which contribute to forming the disbalance in the countries’ relations.
Having analyzed the character of the relations between the US and China, it is possible to note that in spite of the active positions of the countries in relation to the development of the cooperative relations or partnership between them, the situation can be discussed as rather competitive with references to a range of economic factors which influence the peculiarities of the countries’ relations.
The countries cannot be considered as open competitors depending on their global positions, but their relations also do not tend to the partnership. However, both countries are inclined to contribute to their further cooperation.
References
Garrett, B. (2006). US-China relations in the era of globalization and terror: A framework for analysis. Journal of Contemporary China, 15(48), 389-415.
Lieberthal, K. G. & Pollack, J. D. (2012). Establishing credibility and trust the next President must manage America’s most important relationship. Web.
Sutter, R. G. (2010). U.S. – Chinese relations: Perilous past, pragmatic present. USA: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.