Freddie Green
The love-hate relationship between China and the
West
“There is an accident waiting to happen unless we find an accommodation over
values- the precondition for cooperative action. The writing is on the wall.”- Will
Hutton
In recent years, an increasing amount of light has been shed on China and its lack of
respect for human rights. Indeed, it would be difficult not to denounce atrocities
such as Tiananmen Square and Tibet when we are shown stories of people who are
afraid to speak out against the authorities for fear of being arrested, beaten and
possibly executed. Yet, one marvels at the western hypocrisy of how we condemn
China and then continue to “Buy Chinese.” Over half the clothing in the world has
the “Made in China” label on it. Many westerners will be using an IBM computer,
owned by Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo. I would like to examine this
obscure yet undeniably important relationship and decide whether China and the
West could and should be working more cooperatively in the future, despite the
inherent differences between them.
Let us first examine the political systems of both nations. While the West relies on its
much-loved Capitalism, China has a (recent) history of communism, mainly
established by Mao Zedong or, as many will know him, Chairman Mao. The US’s fear
of communism (borne of the Cold War) still lingers, resulting in a point of tension
between the two superpowers. The US has continually experienced what is known as
“the missionary impulse”, that’s to say that they feel a duty to promote freedom and
democracy in China, and liberate them from their authoritarian government. China,
on the other hand, is fearful of the stated motives of the American foreign policy,
believing that goals such as freedom and democracy are simply covers for much
darker motives, such as to make China weak. The result is two political systems that
are greatly divided in their respective ideologies. Yet, at the same time, history has
frequently united the two superpowers in its creation of a common enemy. This was
especially evident before the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party. The US
saw China as brutally oppressed in WW2 during the Sino-Japanese war. This resulted
in the flow of aid to China. Time Magazine’s reports of the Nanking Massacre (where
20-80,000 women were raped and hundreds of thousands of civilians wounded by
the Japanese) stirred the hearts of Americans and aroused great sympathy for the
Chinese.
The Cold War may have seen a freeze in Sino-American relationships but the two
superpowers have now once again been united against common enemies, namely
those of terrorism and nuclear proliferation. While the global economic dip that 9/11
caused made economic cooperation more difficult, the attacks actually managed to
improve Sino-American relations; China sent $150 million of bilateral assistance to
Afghanistan to aid in the struggle against the Taliban. China itself is a victim of
militant Muslim extremism, namely from the separatist group, the Uyghurs. These
radical Muslims have so far conducted 2 major terrorist attacks in 1992 and 1997,
Freddie Green
planting shrapnel bombs in buses. On these occasions, America was quick to
condemn the brutal repression of the Uyghurs by the police but (somewhat
unsurprisingly) went quiet when China sent aid to Afghanistan (following 9/11) to
combat the Taliban. Terrorism is a threat that needs to be combated by both the
West and China. They may choose to fight independently but they are essentially
targeting the same enemy.
Terrorism may threaten both sides, but their biggest common enemy remains that of
Global Warming. Carbon dioxide emissions are exorbitant for both countries, with
China’s emissions standing at 6,200 million tonnes compared with America’s 5,800
million. Being the 2 largest polluters in the world, (and major players on the
international stage) it is clear that environmental change is essential for both
countries. Yet, as the New York Times so fittingly describes it, both nations are
locked in a “climate cold war.” The Kyoto Protocol of 1997 resulted in, yet again, a
point of tension between the countries. As China was left exempt from the carbon
emission restrictions listed in the protocol, America signed but refused to ratify the
agreement. Bush explained his stance like this“This is a challenge that requires a 100% effort; ours, and the rest of the worlds. The
world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gasses is the People’s Republic of
China. Yet China was entirely exempted from the requirements of the Kyoto
Protocol.”1
But the freeze from the climate cold war may be thawing, as, in June, America
agreed to hold talks with Chinese officials in Beijing. China remains obstinate,
refusing to accept restrictions on emissions, instead making environmental demands
on the US, which serve only as political obstacles. However, if the countries are able
to resolve the issue, then the imminent talks in Copenhagen later this year (designed
to produce a replacement for the Kyoto protocol) would look a great deal less bleak.
Furthermore, I believe that if an agreement is reached in this environmental debate,
it would mark a significant point in the relationship between the countries. One
could even go so far as to say that the tension that remains as a result of the
differing political ideologies may be partially alleviated as the agreement would
demonstrate that cooperation is possible between China and the US.
This love-hate relationship is also seen in the superpowers’ respective cultures. On
the one hand, Chinese youth adore the American consumerism idea, and US culture
is often seen as fashionable and stylish. This became particularly apparent in the
1980’s, when China really began to open its doors to the World. The USA jumped at
the chance of spreading its influence. Indeed, permeating through the grand walls of
China’s sacred “Forbidden city”, one can find the American Coffee giant Starbucks.
MacDonald’s and KFC began to appear next to the malls throughout urban China. A
Chinese political scientist noted that “The American dream is the highest ideal for
1
The Whitehouse (2001-06-11). "President Bush Discusses Global Climate Change". Press release.
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/06/20010611-2.html
Freddie Green
the young generation.”2 Others are not so convinced by the concept of
Americanization. The older generation disliked the way that America intervened in
international politics and believed that America had seen this opportunity as a way
of “Americanizing” China. In this way, the younger and older generations of China
are in conflict with one another. I believe, however, that the future shall see China
continuing to adopt American culture, be it necessary or not. Conversely, the West’s
interest in Chinese culture has greatly increased. In the last few years, many more
English and American universities have begun teaching Chinese language and
culture, recognising China as a major player in international politics and trade. And
of course, where would the humble Englishman be without his weekly ration of
Crispy Aromatic Duck or Sweet and Sour Chicken?
However, there will always be aspects of Chinese culture which the West does not
agree with. The controversial one-child policy is one of these. The West may see this
as an invasion of a highly personal right but China only introduced the policy in 1979
as a means of alleviating social, economic and environmental problems. Each
country must learn to accept the cultural differences between one-another if they
want to cooperate. Furthermore, I believe that the sharing of cultures can be
advantageous. The Chinatowns in New York and other such cities have been
beneficial for the economy as have the fast-food chains in Beijing. By showing an
interest in each others culture, the countries also show a willingness to cooperate
with one another, a concept of increasing importance.
The economic Sino-American relation, however, remains one of the utmost
importance. China has experienced an economic boom over the last few years
(somewhat reminiscent of that of the USA in the 1920’s). China holds the prestigious
position of being the fastest growing major nation with a staggering 10% GDP
growth rate. In addition, it has held this spot for the last 25 years. In fact, a lecturer
at Nottingham University claimed, “China will overtake the United States to become
the world's largest economy by 2038 if current growth rates continue.”3 From an
American businessman perspective, this is a peach of an opportunity for investment.
The USA, quite literally, loves the Chinese economy. This has led to a cumulative
American investment in China of $48 billion dollars. Incredibly, China also manages
to isolate itself from the “boom and bust” economic cycle and, therefore, the credit
crunch that the West has experienced. A report published in the Daily Telegraph
stated that “China may, in the end, be the biggest winners from the credit crisis.”
But, of course, as we have seen, the West’s love-hate affair continues, even in the
grizzly world of economics. China’s military spending is still hotly debated by the
West. Official Chinese military spending figures remain at a (reasonably modest) $45
billion. The US “estimates” that China is spending between $85-125 billion. America
goes on to suggest that China is deliberately attempting to challenge them and/or
threaten their neighbours. While the Chinese economy provides a wonderful chance
for investment, it also provides much opportunity for debate. Yet, aside from the
military spending debate, there are some aspects of China’s economy that may
2
Yu Keping – “Americanization, Westernization, Signification, Modernization or Globalization of
China?” (2009)
3
Professor Shujie Yao of Nottingham University (2007)
Freddie Green
deserve greater consideration by the West. In particular, the Chinese model of
creating the large reserves that have acted as a buffer against the credit crunch is
one that the West might adapt in the future
It easy to conclude that China will be a major superpower in the not-too-distant
future. Yet it is difficult decide as to what extent China will be a suitable ally for the
West when put into context with the “hate” part of this relationship. However, I
believe that the West should work alongside China in the future. I have frequently
termed the relationship between the countries as “love-hate.” By this, I mean that,
ultimately, these countries need each other, from an economic and political
perspective. Furthermore, the world itself needs this relationship to work because,
bearing in mind the great power wielded by both parties, a breakdown in this
relationship would have disastrous consequences for all of us.
Bibliography
Leonard, Mark, What does China think? (HarperCollins Publishers, 2008)
Hutton, Will, The Writing On the Wall: China and the West in the 21st Century (Little,
Brown, 2007)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/2820258/China-wins-from-creditcrunch-fallout.html - China wins from credit crunch fallout (Article published by
Daily Telegraph) (Date accessed 5th August 2009)
http://www.supplychain.cn/en/art/?1635 - China “to become world’s largest
economy by 2038” (Global Supply Chain Council) (Date accessed 5th August 2009)