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Future Relations With China Bryan Whitmore Tuesday, August 26, 2008 Ever since it was announced that Beijing would be the host of the 2008 Olympic games China has been the under close inspection of the rest of the world.

What has the rest of the world seen?  

Many still solely see China's poor human rights record. Others see the Chinese as just a bunch of Communists. In American society an image of China as a sort of rising Soviet Union in a new Cold War has become increasingly popular. While some of the ideas people have of China are accurate, others are just inaccurate labels that misrepresent China as a whole.

It is important for the rest of the world to have an appropriate and accurate understanding of China as a whole. A proper understanding of China is crucial to healthy relations with them. Because of the Cold War, the term Communist carries with it a very negative connotation. This term, when used by much of the world, is not only used to describe China's government, but is used almost as an insult or form of propaganda.

When most Americans here the word communist they automatically feel threatened, angry, and morally superior. While many of these feelings are justified, because of Communism's horrible track record; they make it almost impossible to develop good future relations with China. It is a sort of self fulfilling prophecy.

 If most Americans think of China as a threat and enemy, then China will be dealt with as an enemy and become an enemy. Because China is a rising super power, this would likely end in an entirely to costly military engagement. America can not afford to alienate China. Good relations must be a top priority in order to insure peace.

This is not something Americas' government can do on its own. The American public needs to have an appropriate understanding of China. This does not mean that Americans have to ignore Chinas' faults. Nor does it mean that America must go along with everything China does.

The US cannot and should not view China as an enemy, but the US can and must view China as a competitor. There is a distinct difference between the two. The idea of China as a competitor lessons hostilities and sets a limit on what the US is willing to do to oppose China under normal circumstances. It would mean that while, of course, its own national interests would be its chief concerns, America might also be concerned with China's well being. It would be similar to a relationship between two companies in a free market economy.

Neither Coke or Pepsi would wish to see the death of its rival, because the rivalry is good for business (also hopefully neither would want to see the employees of their rival laid off). This sort of Chinese American rivalry would be more constructive than destructive. It would lead both countries to better themselves in order to best the other. This would benefit citizens of both countries.

Some might think this kind of approach to US Chinese relations is just plain wrong. After all We are morally superior to China aren't we? I mean one just has to look at there track record: the cultural revolution, Tiananmen Square, and Tibet. I would say that this is foolish thinking, that results from a misunderstanding of history. China does have skeletons in its closet, such as the ones mentioned earlier, but so does every country. There are an increasing number good things about China too, but these things are usually overlooked. Recently in a local election in China a non communist party member won. Also, the Communist Party's fear of the birth of a second party has resulted in the party paying closer attention to the will of the people.

The Communist party has recently started purging the government of corrupt officials. Concern for the environment is also on the rise in China. In some areas of China, factories that refuse to meet newly instated regulations are closed down. Plus, the brand of Communism practiced in China can hardly be called such, after all China has a market economy.

What we must remember is that every country has done things that it can be proud of and things it should be ashamed of. If one focuses on just the negatives almost any country can be painted as the next giant that needs slaying. It is easy to look into the past and present of countries like America, England, France, and Japan and find enough dirt to inspire hatred.

What is more important then where a country is coming from or currently is, is where that country is going. The future of China is looking better not worse, and we should let that color our opinion of them.