The relationship between China and the United States has been complex and fraught for decades, but recent events have strained it even further. From tensions over Taiwan and human rights abuses to cybersecurity concerns and trade disputes, there are many sources of conflict between these two global powers.
The tumultuous relationship between China and the US is largely due to their conflicting views on Ukraine. The United States has recently alleged that China's involvement in Russia's military occupation of Ukraine can be proven by intelligence reports which claim that Beijing provides arms and other aid to bolster Russian forces. Such accusations have stirred a movement among lawmakers demanding more stringent action against China, with some even considering sanctions or retributive measures as necessary actions toward resolution.
In response to these allegations, China has denied any involvement in the conflict and accused the US of trying to stir up trouble. In a recent speech to the Chinese Congress, President Xi Jinping reiterated his commitment to peaceful coexistence and called on the US to "respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Another major issue in the US-China relationship is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The US has accused China of not being transparent enough about the origins of the virus and of not doing enough to stop its spread. This has led to tensions over access to vaccines and medical supplies, as well as accusations of intellectual property theft related to vaccine research.
Apart from the more contemporary progressions, there exists a longstanding dispute between China and the United States concerning trade policies and economic matters. The US has alleged that China engages in inequitable trading practices as well as intellectual property misappropriation leading to tariffs imposition amongst other measures. Conversely, China argues against America's protectionist standpoints while accusing them of meddling with their internal affairs.
An issue causing significant worry is the escalating military competition between both nations. In an interview with The Guardian, US General Mark Milley conveyed apprehension regarding prospective conflict against China by stating that he had a premonition of war happening soon. Despite some specialists disregarding these remarks as exaggerated, they indicate mounting alarm in Washington about China's armed forces aspirations and their rising confidence in disputed areas like the South China Sea.
Despite the formidable difficulties, glimmers of optimism shine for the relationship between the United States and China. Dialogue remains possible as both nations express a readiness to address shared concerns like nuclear disarmament and climate change. Additionally, some encouraging strides have transpired in promoting trade cooperation; agreements have been reached recently that offer respite from tariffs on certain goods.
Overall it can be determined that the US-China conflict is a matter of great intricacy and diversity which may take considerable effort to resolve. The assortment of factors leading to this tension between two key players in global affairs suggests that finding common ground will not come easily. However, despite these challenges ahead lies an opening for collaboration through constructive communication and negotiation.
https://apnews.com/article/china-congress-2023-qin-us-1938a701c0d7a2114a18226962de4879
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/28/politics/us-china-relations-ukraine-covid/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/20/world/asia/china-russia-us-arms.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/02/us-general-gut-feeling-war-china-sparks-alarm-predictions
2 comments:
The US and China are now the two most powerful nations in the world, both economically and militarily. They also have significantly different forms of government. The US is a democracy, and China is a one-party state ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, led by a leader and small group of people who are not elected by popular vote. The US allows for free expression, but in China, there is no such concept under the law. China has a government which greatly promotes the welfare of their own companies over foreign rivals, often through illegal and predatory trade practices. Intellectual property theft, which is orchestrated by the government to assist local companies in competing against foreign rivals, is common. The practices have worked, as their economy has grown quickly and is on track to surpass the US as the world’s largest economy at some point. There are also tensions building around Taiwan, which has been an issue for decades, but is now more urgent as the Chinese military is growing rapidly in both size and quality. Their ships and planes now rival those of the US, and they continue to improve. Many think the US would not prevail in a conflict over Taiwan, and that China may try to attack the island in the next several years. I hope that China and the US can co-exist and have a healthy trade rivalry under international rules and avoid any escalations. Any military conflict involving the US and China would quickly draw in other nations, as the US is a NATO member and North Korea and Russia would likely join China’s side. Conflict could end up in a third world war. Diplomacy and dialogue are obviously much preferable to another world war.
China and the U.S's story can as far back as to when the North and South Korea war was on. These two countries' political stance from the very beginning hinted that they will not have many things they could agree upon. From the U.S's point, China is a place with barely any freedom, and as to China, U.S is a place with no restrictions and filled with violence. As of today, these two growing nations have come to encounter in many matters such as economically, or politically. Trump's "market-war" with China a few years back already hinders the progress of peace between the two. It is interesting to see how different nations interact with each other in recent years, especially being a Chinese in America.
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