History Impacts The Present
The story of how United States-China relations developed into the 21st century involves opium, opening and closing doors, establishment of missionaries, “peaceful” rebellions and rising tensions. Throughout history, the United States demonstrated a fondness for expansion, connecting itself to as many parts of the world as possible using trade routes and policy whereas China has more often than not displayed an aversion to outsiders and new modes of thinking. The U.S. values novelty while China values tradition. The history of the countries’ interactions is strongly tied to the present tensions between the United States and China.
In 1839, the first Opium War broke out. The British and eventually the Americans pumped opium into the Chinese market in the hopes of obtaining a profit from the crop. For fourteen years from 1850 to 1864, Hong Xiuquan led the Taiping Rebellion with the purpose of reigniting traditional Chinese values of celibacy, cleanliness of physical and mental health, and equality amongst all peoples. Although the rebellion hoped to swerve the lifestyles set during the Opium War and did so somewhat effectively by employing values of purity, quality of life, and honesty--core values of the Christian faith--the rebellion ultimately created greater divide amongst the different social classes and split northern and southern China into two greater regions now more difficult than before to install uniform rule. In the latter half of the 19th century, anti-Chinese sentiments drove the United States to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act and anti-Chinese violence prevented Chinese immigrants from peaceful settlement in the United States. These events provided clear evidence to China that the U.S. did not view the Chinese populations as equal and free individuals. Similarly, China responded to these threats with anti-American boycotts in China on American goods and businesses. Later on early in the 20th century, the second Sino-Japanese War revealed the allying of Japan and United States. By the transitive property, China indirectly fought the United States in the war as the U.S. was feeding Japanese troops resources and funds. In 1950, the Korean War further solidified a tumultuous relationship between China and the United States that would carry on into the 21st century. In 1989, the United States along with several other nations imposed economic sanctions on China and tensions soared a decade later when two U.S. planes accidentally bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. These events prompted China to distance itself from American politics and anti-American sentiments boiled underneath the seemingly cool exterior of agreements and consented economic sanctions.
The detrimental ramifications of opium consumption became apparent as government officials became unable to direct the populace at policies directed at improving the economy. In my opinion, the first Opium War offset the tensions between U.S. and China by pushing the Chinese economy into turmoil; opium created inflation that took the market many years afterward to recover and opium took the place of other key traded goods such as tea, silk, and textiles. Although the Opium War caused the opening of more ports in Nanjing and Macao for foreign trade, the foreign trade inadvertently caused the Chinese economy to grow weaker and the economic and political instability pushed aside the potential for new growth. Hong Xiuquan, who developed his teachings for the Taiping Rebellion by studying under an American missionary, became a symbol of the threat of foreign ideas to nationalism. The decade and a half of civil war that was inextricably linked to the teachings of the Western world caused the Chinese to approach the West with caution. The Chinese Exclusion Act demonstrated strict anti-Chinese sentiments that limited immigration into the United States, increasing anti-American sentiments in China. Simultaneously, these sentiments channeled into a source of national identity for the Chinese. The national pride allowed the Chinese to brush off anti-Chinese sentiments Americans held with ease, but at the same time, these sentiments propelled the Chinese to strengthen national defense and form relationships with neighbors. The relationship with Japan was at first symbiotic where China and Japan traded resources, but grew tense when Japan tried to imperialize China through war. The Sino-Japanese wars gave the world an opportunity to choose sides; U.S. picked Japan and no one picked China. These distinct divisions in international relations as demonstrated by the workings of the war showed China that even the most powerful nation needed allies. Furthermore, the Korean War sparked a deeper hatred from China towards Americans as American generals led troops into China that resulted in a small military uprising. The collection of strifes, both intended and accidental, throughout the 19th century put the United States and China on uneasy terms.
While it may seem that the United States is the instigator of the present tensions between itself and China, China released its fair share of ill sentiments and actualized them into boycotts, national campaigns, and sanctions. It is also crucial to note the cultural differences between the two countries. The United States is an individualistic society whereas China is a collectivistic society. The countries have inherently different values and therefore, different ways of thinking. However, the common trend amongst both nations is their inclination to increase a sense of nationalism, pride, and progressive action when things do not go as planned. Knowing this, I believe both nations must look past historical events and move forward despite the influence those events may have on the nation’s psyche.
Works Cited
"World's Largest Economies." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.
"The Future of U.S.-Chinese Relations." Foreign Affairs. N.p., 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 02 Mar. 2016.
