The Forced Friendship : China's rise and its implications for the international community

In 1949 the People's Republic of China emerged from a civil war with communist Mao Zedong as its victor. During the peak of Mao's rule China was completely isolated from the world. In the 1960's China lost the support of the Soviet Union due to failed policies such as the Great Leap Forward and various border clashes. Moreover, during the Cold War it was almost impossible to trade with the capitalist West. It were the failed policies of Mao Zedong however that forced China to seek the help of Western countries in order to feed its people. The former American President Richard M. Nixon initiated negotiations with China in 1971. Nixon decided to start negotiations because he wanted to pull China out of its isolation and because of China's strategic location towards the Soviet Union. Through China, the United States were able to collect intelligence from the Soviet Union and to restrain Soviet expansionism. China changed dramatically with the death of Mao Zedong. One man that stands at the cradle of China today is Deng Xiaoping. After the strict Mao rule it was Deng who initiated economical and political reforms: decentralizing the government and opening China for foreign investment. The relationship between China and the United States has had its difficulties. A problem that has existed since the beginning is Taiwan. Other issues are human rights, trade, international relations and energy. These four issues have gained more importance since 1989. In this year the strategic importance faded due to the fact that the Soviet Union was no longer considered a threat. Moreover, the government of Deng Xiaoping violently ended a student protest on Tiananmen Square in this year. It was American President Clinton who reproached China for violating human rights, threatening to take away China's economic advantages. However, Deng's economic reforms had attracted such a considerable amount of American companies that Clinton had to disconnect trade relations from China's attitude towards human rights. This trend continues with President George W. Bush. China and the US were becoming increasingly interdependent considering the deepening trade relations; this deepening has also led the US to ask for an increasingly open Chinese market. China's rise has transformed the country into the 'factory of the world'. This rise has also had its effect on the environment. The increase of Chinese production has transformed the country into the largest emitter of greenhouse gasses and has made China increasingly dependent on countries that the US sees as rogue states. China's separation of politics and economy enables trade with countries such as Zimbabwe and Iran, to the displease of the United States. The intent of the Obama Administration is to widen the range of issues on which China and the US cooperate. Global challenges such as global warming and the financial crisis are forcing the countries to look for joined solutions. The way the relationship develops in the future depends on the reactions of the two nations to the global crises.