Obama's Foreign Policy on China Essay

Communication between China and the United States has played a momentous role in the development of both nations for centuries. In class, we’ve learned how nationality, politics, economics and international relations have all come into play when discussing communication between the two powers. However, throughout history we’ve seen how it has been an uphill battle for China to maintain a healthy and productive relationship with the United States, and vice-versa. A number of historical events have been accounted for producing numerous generalizations, creating stereotypes and popular opinions. Ultimately, China and the United States have dealt with a great amount of mistrust and misunderstanding that has been very formative to the nations as we know them today.

When Chinese President Xi visited Washington, President Obama brought up the human rights issue during a conference. The human rights abuse is becoming extremely exposed and other countries are starting to put pressure on China’s government to stop their harsh methods. According to the article,"Rubio:Xi Jinping 'devastating' for China Human Rights", by James Griffiths, “Human rights have taken something of a back foot in recent years when it comes to Sino-U.S. relations. President Barack Obama has been criticised by Republicans for not doing enough to pressure Beijing on the issue”(Griffiths.) Not only has the abuse been going on for decades but the violations of human rights are extremely harsh and serious. The abuses range from expensive fines to extrajudicial killings.

In time, China was hoped to find that social and political freedom is the only basis of that greatness. The United States has helped nurture this change by cooperating with China where possible, without allowing the differences that do exist, such as human rights, and nonproliferation commitments to interfere.

China's record of human rights violations is long and mind-boggling. Atrocities such as purging tens of millions of people during the Cultural Revolution, its infamous one-child-per-couple Population Policy, persistent oppression of Tibet and the bloody June 4 massacre at Tienanmen Square in 1989 have given the Chinese government a reputation of having little respect for human life. And yet, despite its tarnished record, China maintains its Most Favoured Nation trade status with the US and is one of Canada's top ten recipients of bilateral trade. As supposed supporters of human rights, Canadian and US governments have developed hypocritical attitudes toward China, compromising ethical values for material gain. Instead, North American

Overwhelmed by numerous armed conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, a formidable domestic economic crisis, and a growing challenge of primacy from China, the United States government and public began prioritizing domestic issues. However, persisting transnational concerns, especially illicit drug trafficking, nuclear weapons proliferation, and the threat of terrorism, largely depend on U.S. involvement based on our relatively successful past efforts and President Barack Obama’s promising diplomatic approach towards foreign policy.

Nixon’s China policy was effective in advancing U.S. interests because he was able to overlook vast differences in ideology and values to pursue common interests (Bader1), such as containing Soviet expansion. Nixon himself, “had made his name as a dogged and vociferous anti-communist” (Macmillan2), however by traveling into the “the very heart of Communism” (2) Nixon could establish

The recent interactions of emerging and established states suggest that the existing standards of the current global economy are shifting. According to Stewart Patrick in his article “Irresponsible Stakeholders? The Difficulty of Integrating Rising Powers,” the United States must accommodate for emerging states within the global economy and refrain from enforcing their values of an open and liberal international economy in order to achieve effective cooperation. Similarly, Andrew Nathan and Andrew Scobell argue in their article “How China Sees America: The Sum of Beijingʻs Fears” that as China gains more influence within the global economy, the United States will have to respond appropriately to maintain its economic values. Both articles ultimately assert that

It is no longer appropriate to say, “China is quickly emerging as a global superpower.” The fact is China is just that. Realizing this the United States of America has attempted to once again turn its focus eastward. Continuing problems at home and in the Middle East however have made doing so difficult. Additionally more and more frequently attempts at influencing the ongoing narrative in the Asia- Pacific region have been rebuffed. Even allies have found strength in the emergence of a system that fails to conform to previously prescribed methods and ideals. This leads to a fundamental question America must answer quickly. Has the growing hypocrisy of idealistic political rhetoric versus actual foreign policy finally undermined American credibility with developing nations, or for the purposes of this paper more specifically China? The answer is yes.

The major actors involved in the Chinese challenge include the US government, the Chinese Government, US and Chinese businesses, and the American Citizens. When analyzing the hierarchy of goals for the Chinese government, it is important to note that the Chinese Communist Party is not democratically elected. Their mandate to govern has been based on China’s strong economic performance. Above all else, it is crucial for the Chinese government to maintain its economic success. 29% of China’s GDP is composed of exports of goods and services.

Biden asked Lee what is the Chinese government doing now? “There in the United States looking for that box that is buried somewhere in the United States,” said Lee. “The box that contains the secret of what allows America to be the only country in the world that is constantly able to remake itself and renew itself.” Biden told Lee that the Chinese will find two things in that box: “1) stamped into their [Americans] DNA is a high disregard for orthodoxy, a willingness to challenge orthodoxy in every field and 2) immigration, a constant, unrelenting stream of immigrants in large numbers.” The United States was built by immigrants and known for countless groups challenging society's norms. If Chinese experts arrive at the same conclusion as Biden, adapting America’s elixir to China will prove to be

On February 22, 1784 an American vessel named the Empress of China set sail from New York to Canton, a province in China that is now referred to as Guangzhou, in order to establish a trade relationship between the United States and China (The Chinese Magnet). Samuel Shaw, the officer of the Empress of China, was responsible for overseeing the cargo and the sale of the goods that traveled on the merchant ship. Shaw was appointed as the unofficial representative of the vessel by the United States congress, but did not gain any political recognition from the United States, nor did he have the opportunity to be in contact with the Chinese officials. The Empress of China was the first American ship to set sail from the United States to China and arrived in the region of Canton on August 28, 1784 after an eighteen-thousand-mile long expedition (The Empress of China).

There are so many pollutants in the air today. They come from many different sources. The most common types of gases come from automobiles, power plants, and industrial companies. This leads to poor quality in the air, along with global warming, and heavy pollution. The gases that are released into the air can be very dangerous for humans and animals alike. Many of the toxins cause cancer and other diseases. This has been going on for many, many years. The United States and China are two good references to compare.

And with this strong role China has been assuming, so has it been getting stronger by building military equipment competitive with those of the U.S. and drawing narrower a military gap it once possessed when compared to America’s armed forces. Furthermore, China has “displaced the United States as the world’s leading manufacturing nation” in 2010 (US Foreign Policy, pg. 414). Not a surprise since a majority of products purchased in the U.S. carry a label stating, “Made in China.” And predictions hold China as the world’s largest economy by year 2041 (US Foreign Policy, pg. 415). Thus, the fact that China has become an emergence matters. Since the dismantled of the Soviet Union, the U.S. was not challenged, when it came to power by any other competitor, however now, the U.S. dominance in international politics has to deal with a China that has the capabilities to lead the world’s economy.

After December 26 1991, when the Soviet Union fell, the bipolarity of the international system was effaced. In the post- Cold War era, the United States faced the problem, without a defined enemy, to adopt a new foreign policy. To begin to analyze the political foreign policy of the United States, one must first understand the international system. According to Political Realism, a theory of international thought, the state is the key unit within the acts within the system. These states act according to their key norms, which are allowed by the system. However, these sates are also affected the domestic and external factors which control how they act. The domestic factors include political culture, their economic system, the leadership

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has become more integrated and willing to cooperate within the global political and economic systems than ever in its history. However, there is growing apprehension in the Asia-Pacific region and the U.S. in regards to the consequences of rising in economic and military power in China. Descriptions about Chinese diplomacy in the policy and scholarly are less positive lately concerning China’s obedience to regional and international rules. There was little debate in the U.S. and elsewhere in regards to whether China was or was not part “the international community.” Scholars and experts in the early 1990s have contended