Introduction
The Second World War, which ended in 1945, is still regarded as the most devastating war in human history. The war involved the greatest number of nations with all the major countries in the world playing a role in the war. The human and economic costs of the war were astronomical and most countries took decades to recover from the damaging impacts of the war.
During the war, participating nations made alliances with each other in order to bolster their positions. Countries offered financial and military assistance to their allies who were in a weak position.
The United States and China had a cordial relationship in the years heralding the war and during World War II; the two nations were allies since they were both fighting against the German led aggression in East Asia. The paper will review Chinese – American relations during the World War II to show that this period provided a special stage in the relationship of these two countries.
Prewar US-China Relations
China and the US had a mostly unfavorable relationship for the better part of the 19th century. The Caucasian American’s resented the huge influx of Chinese laborers during the 1860s and they considered them culturally and racially inferior.
This led to anti-Chinese sentiments which culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 which was an act prohibiting Chinese immigrants from entering the US. Xiaohua observes that the discriminatory law not only ended the free immigration era in American history but it also negatively affected the future relations between China and America (40).
Relations between 1932 and 1945
The 1930s were characterized by many external attacks on the Nationalist government of China. Specifically, China experienced significant encroachment by the aggressive Japanese forces. Japan agents assassinated the Chinese warlord in Manchuria and took control of the territory under the guise of an independent state called Manchukuo, which was only recognized by Japan.
This blatant grab of Manchuria by Japan was viewed as a hostile action by the United States. However, the US did not respond forcefully since the country was still dealing with the disastrous consequences of the Great Depression. However, the Hoover administration formally protested and sent additional forces to China (Sutter 35).
The US was opposed to the establishment of exclusive spheres of influence by European powers and later Japan. The US supported the principles of free access to China and Chinese territorial integrity even as Japan endeavored to carve up Chinese territory (Sutter 16). Measures were therefore taken to limit Japan’s increasing dominance in East Asia and preserve Chinese integrity.
The US supported Chinese national interests and this led to the emergence of a special relationship between the two nations. Sutter notes that while China was apprehensive of US involvement in her internal affairs, Chinese officials saw American policies and practices as less aggressive than other powers (16).
Since 1927, Washington maintained a fleet in the Yangtze River to defend US treaty rights and protect American lives and property. This military presence became a symbol of American commitment to the open door in china.
The US was instrumental in the building of a more efficient Chinese Army. During World War II, US officials encouraged their Chinese allies to build a better army in order to repulse the Japanese. Xiaohua documents that a primary goal of the US was to “keep China in the war in order to tie up millions of Japanese troops until the ultimate Allied victory in Europe” (41).
China received financial support from the US in order to aid in her war efforts. In Asia, Japan had established herself as the economic and military powerhouse and she had been able to engage in expansionism with little Chinese opposition. The US was keen to strengthen Chinese forces in order to alter the Pacific War. The US lent China $500 million in 1942 to help improve Chinese military capabilities.
The Pearl Harbor attack was a significant event in the US-China relations. This attack resulted in an active involvement by the US as the country abandoned its policy of isolationism and she took major action in response to Japanese action (Schaller 34).
While she had previously restricted her involvement to providing material support to the war efforts, the attack officially brought the US into the war and troops were committed to fight the Axis alliance.
After this attack, American sympathy for the Chinese grew to unprecedented levels. The Americans began to view the Chinese as a people who had been bravely resisting Japanese aggression for years (Xiaohua 47). The American press developed a positive image of the Chinese who were portrayed as valiant fighters against Japanese aggression.
These pro-China sentiments culminated in the visit to the US and a subsequent address to congress by the Chinese First Lady, Mme. Chiang in 1943. The war relations led to a change in American attitudes towards the Chinese. Since the US and China were officially allies in the war against the German led Axis Alliance, American’s were urged to treat the Chinese with the justice and equality they deserved.
Because of this wave of enthusiasm fostered by the war, a bill to grant the Chinese rights to entry and citizenship in the US was introduced and calls made to repeal the Chinese Exclusion Acts (Xiaohua 51).
The relationship between the two countries increased China’s international prestige. Specifically, the US aided China in her quest to achieve the status of “Great Power” on a global stage (Shen and Mong 478).
The Roosevelt administration embarked on a strategy aimed at promoting China as a Great Power at par with other European powers. It was hoped that such an elevation should help to promote peace and prosperity in Eastern Asia. Because of these efforts, China took over the position of East Asian power and continued to exercise influence in the region even after the war.
Discussion and Conclusion
Bilateral relations between China and the US have varied through the decades from hostile to cooperative. The period between 1932 and 1945 was characterized by a cooperative relationship between the two countries.
The United States and China enjoyed a cordial relationship during this the war period with the two making a coalition to counter the forces of the Axis alliance. This cooperation was beneficial and it contributed to the defeat of Japan.
This paper set out to analyze the relationship between the United States and China during the Second World War. To this end, the paper has demonstrated that WW II led to the formation of a special wartime alliance between the two countries with the US adopting new foreign policies that were favorable to China.
The US made major contributions to China in an attempt to deter Japanese dominance in the region. This wartime cooperation led to better diplomatic relationships between the two nations.
Works Cited
Schaller, Michael. The U.S. Crusade in China: 1938 – 1945. NY: Columbia University Press, 1979.
Shen, Simon and Mong Cheung. “Reshaping nationalism: Chinese intellectual response towards Sino-American and Sino-Japanese relations in the twenty-first century”. Pacific Review 20.4 (2007): 475-497. Web.
Sutter, Robert. U.S.-Chinese Relations: Perilous Past, Pragmatic Present. Rowman & Littlefield, 2010. Print.
Xiaohua Ma. “The Sino-American Alliance during World War II and the Lifting of the Chinese Exclusion Acts”. American Studies International 38.2 (2000): 39-62. Web.