The United States, China and its Asian Neighbors

China’s economy, popularity and influence are growing, while many claim that the U.S. is headed in the opposite direction. As far as Southeast Asia is concerned this may be true, simply because of China’s natural consequence of location and it expounding economic dynamics. This has taken considerable time, as China was often considered a bully, especially in its quest for land acquisition. The Korean invasions, the Tibetan occupation, the refusal to grant Taiwan independence and to some degree the current unwanted oversight of Hong Kong has not been warmly received by other Asian countries in the region. However; China’s bustling economy has seemed to smother its own government’s power and has created an opportunistic atmosphere for many Asians. There is no doubt that the CCP is fully in control, but now large amounts of money are moving in and out of the hands of the Chinese people and that brings a power that is practically universal. The communist government appears as getting “soft” as it quickly becomes surrounded by millionaires and private entrepreneurs. The momentum created by this wealth could trigger the unpredictable government to once again convert all property to the State. It would be more difficult than in the 1950s, because of world wide access to news and China’s current position of “near-superpower”. But, China still has a reputation of brutal control, reinforced by its past transgressions against its own citizens.

The United States has worked many years to develop relations with China. At times, this was difficult due to our large opposition to anything related to communism. During the 1980s China began to expand its market to the outside world. The increased economic power created a situation whereas the U.S. had to develop a good relationship in order to balance our own imports and exports. The relationship that was developed during Bill Clinton’s presidency has allowed the U.S. to maintain good relations with China in many fields, notably the economy, science, technology and even Chinese culture to some degree. The one sticking point in our relationship has always been Taiwan. China wants it back, and Taiwan has generally opposed reunification with China. The U.S. has maintained some distance in this mess, but the sale of U.S. arms to Taiwan has eroded some Chinese confidence in the United States. Presently, the U.S. is not supporting reunification or Taiwan independence. The U.S. is peacefully “sitting on the fence”.

The United States’ policy toward other countries that are warming up to China should not change. The countries that make up the ASEAN have no current conflicts with the United States and we generally have good relationships (though Burma is currently a U.S. headache and Cambodia is still run by a communist regime). The sanctions against Burma have been alleviated by the increase trade with China, but that is a minor situation when compared to the entire Southeast Asian region. The United States should not change any policies toward the Southeast because of China’s growing popularity and influence.