Talk of “Thawing” in China-U.S. Relations Is Too Simplistic

Two high-level U.S. officials considered to be the most well-educated on Chinese and American relations are U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and National Security Council Director for Asian affairs James Bader. When these two scholars were appointed a year ago, it was hailed as the meteoric rise of the old China hands within the U.S. Now, a year later, the simultaneous visit of these two high officials to China is seen as a sign that Chinese-American relations are beginning to thaw.

This talk of “thawing” is too simplistic, though. Despite the fact that bilateral relations are not as good as they were last year, nonetheless they never “froze over,” so how could they now be “thawing”? This kind of talk clearly overestimates the brittleness of Chinese-U.S. relations and underestimates the stability of cooperation between the two nations.

However, in the last couple of months, Obama really has done a number of misdeeds toward China. Despite the fact that all previous U.S. administrations have acted similarly, these things are still wrong because subsequent administrations can now carry on in the same fashion. Therefore, as these two high-ranking U.S. officials come to Beijing, we must first of all correct their attitudes. This isn’t a matter of China becoming arrogant, because all world powers respond to the injuries that are done to them. Moreover, the greater their means, the more severe the response can be. However, this is fundamentally different from China wanting to be in conflict with the United States.

From a certain perspective, America’s current attitude toward China looks a bit like a blend of the Soviet panic of the 1950s, suspicion of Germany in the 1970s and the anxiety toward Japan in the 1980s. Senior U.S. correspondent Pan Wen said in a recent article that, in present-day America, the message one hears from the media, from the man on the street and even from Obama himself is that China is stronger than the U.S. This in itself is the latest problem Chinese-American relations are facing.

America succeeded in pulling down the Soviet Union, restraining Germany and disabling Japan. It has abundant international experience in maintaining their superior position in the world. However, even though they have an army of around 10,000 Chinese scholars producing enough reports each year to make a pack-ox sweat, they have failed from beginning to end to devise a perfect method for handling China. At present, China is gradually moving forward from the way the U.S. thought of us 30 years ago, and it seems inevitable that we will overtake America’s momentum, but at the same time inadvertently come into conflict with the U.S.

In reality, this is an advantageous position for America. Of all of the powerful countries that might overtake the U.S., China is the least belligerent, the least possessed of international ambitions and the most concerned with its own domestic situation. China will not start a cold war, nor will we create an Asian Union, nor are we thinking of spending huge sums to “buy up America.” On the contrary, more than any other nation, China favors an effective international system, we appreciate the civilization and society of the United States, and we admire Obama’s reforms. Therefore, the best way to respond to China is with mutual respect and mutual understanding, rather than with the bygone tactics of the Cold War, containment, financial plotting or any other similarly dirty tricks.

This is an entirely new era of the Great Game. A nation’s success does not lie in bringing about the collapse of others, but in bringing itself to walk the path of correctness. China is continuing to reform in order to put the nation on the right track, and Obama’s reforms are likewise a matter of correcting things that have gone awry in America’s path. The only way both nations can achieve success in their reforms is if we allow bilateral relations to continue to move forward. The favor of the Chinese people with respect to American interests will only be given in return for genuine assistance to China.

These two high-ranking officials, Steinberg and Bader, must gain a clear understanding of China, including a clear understanding of the way the Chinese people really think. The truth is that past U.S. administrations and American academics have always seen China incorrectly. Please tell Obama that, fundamentally, the Chinese people are not concerned with America, but rather with the Two Conferences, the allocation of revenue, the transformation of the economy and opposing environmental corruption. The Chinese people are not asking for a conflict with America, but whether we move forward in cooperation with the U.S. will depend on the future sincerity of the American people. It would be best not to allow America’s complex domestic electoral politics to disturb the tranquility of Chinese society.