Introduction
The topic of discussion looks at establishing the extent to which China appears to be a threat to the United States. In this topic, there will be need to evaluate the relations between China and the US and determine the importance of the relations to the whole world. According to scholars and academicians, the relations between the two countries are very important to the economies of all other countries in the world. The supremacy of the two countries thus poses a challenge to each other in terms of who is superior to the other. However, the fact is that the two economies need each other to ensure that there is development.
The topic is thus important as it tries to explain to the readers on the importance of the two economies and the trends to which the two countries are moving towards in terms of gaining superiority in the world. Politics play a major role in the competition between the two countries and the presidents often tend to sit together to show their solid state. Even though there is a good bilateral relationship between the two countries, there are sources of conflicts that occur with regards to some matters of political or economic interest.
The paper looks at to establish the amount of threat that the People’s Republic of China poses to the United States of America either economically or politically. The paper shall begin by looking at a brief explanation of the relations between China and the US, then later look at the major points of conflicts whether political or economic and the threat the conflicts pose to the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Chinese-US relations
The United States-Chinese relations are considered as the most important bilateral relationship in the world. Considering that the United States is the largest economy in the world whereas the China economy is the second largest, a bilateral relation between the two countries is important for the world since the two are economic power houses of the world. The two countries have seen agreements and relations with regards to economic, political and security concerns such as proliferation of nuclear weapons and terrorism. China is the largest creditor to the United States holding approximately $1.8 trillion which represents 10% of the United States national dept. The diplomatic relations between China and the United States can be traced back to 1844 when the two countries negotiated for a Treaty of Wangxia. The relations between the United States and China will remain to be important through the current century.
US debt crisis
The United States is the country in the world that has the largest public debt. It is important to note that 10% of this public debt that US has belongs to China. The fact points out at the importance of China to the United States. The existence of China has provided the US with an opportunity to fund their projects which range from political to economic. All these projects are considered as important for the development of the country. The fact that China holds the largest portion of the US national debt presents an important tie between the two countries. The US might feel intimidated due to this fact.
China is the second largest economy in the world after the US economy
The Chinese economy is the second largest economy in the world after the United States economy. However, the current economic growth trends show that the China economy is growing three times faster than the US economy. The statistic is important as it shows that there is a possibility that the Chinese economy might become the largest in the world a few years from now. This fact presents a real threat to the US politically since it will mean that, the world’s economic powerhouse will no longer be the United States but China. The preceding situations can be unpredictable since there could be another possibility of the world’s most powerful country shifting from the US to China.
On the other hand, China is leading in terms of GDP (PPP) since 2014. The fact presents a threat to the United States since it shows the real potential of China. China is a real threat to the United States economy not only due to the GDP, but also due to the fact that China holds the largest exports in the world showing that it has the largest balance of payments surplus in the world.
Manufacturers moving towards China
Many manufacturers are looking to set up their processing and manufacturing plants in China. The fact appears even though most of the companies are US based. For example, the Apple Inc. has set up a factory in China that employs thousands of Chinese. All this labor force could have been used in the US to reduce the current unemployment rates thus boosting the economic growth. China has presented most of the companies with a good condition that will lead to cheap manufacturing of goods. As a result, most companies are opting to manufacture in China and sell in the United States. The result is, more and more Chinese will keep on being employed while the US citizens buy the products they manufacture. This poses a threat to the US economy in terms of employment and taxation. If all companies move to manufacture in China and sell in the US, the economy will be crippled and there will be no jobs for the people.
China’s economy is more of consumption driven
The Chinese economy is presented as a consumption driven economy. The economy does not depend on exports to the United States. The US economy, however, depends on China for development. Even though the country has tried to work to ensure that the economy does not largely depend on China, the fact still remains intact. The US economy is driven by the exports they make to China and the presence of numerous multinationals. Most of the multinationals are located in china thus still leaving the threat in existence and there is a need for a deep scrutiny. Scholars argue that China is getting more powerful as the position of the United States keeps on eroding. The fact that the Chinese economy does not depend on the US presents a threat since it means that even if the US stops importing Chinese products, the economy will continue with the boom for years.
Russian-China alliance
The alliance between Russia and China is the biggest threat to the United States national security. The two nations act in support of terrorism as they support the Hamas and the Hezbollah. Additionally, the two countries support imperial regimes such as the North Korea and Iran governments. The United States does not support any form of terrorist groups regardless of the size. The US also does not support tyrant regimes as it looks to ensure that the basic human rights are protected. The alliance between Russia and China thus pose a security threat to the United States and both counties try to undermine the power of the US.
Chinese ideological orientation makes the country a revolutionary power
The Chinese government and economy is built upon the communist ideology that sees the country plunged into adverse views of situations. For a country such as the United States, the views look to ensure that there is democracy and freedom to the people. The two countries differ in ideologies which also are seen through the heads of states. The Chinese government is ruled through a one party state whereas the United States government is a two-party system. A one party system tends to pose a threat to democracy thus creating a notion that the ideologies between the United States and the People’s Republic of China cannot agree except for political and economic interests. The US is threatened by this fact since China cannot be completely trusted as an ally.
Conclusion
As observers say, “the American era is coming to an end,” the statement might be a little true depending on how the US takes precautions when dealing with the People’s Republic of China government. The deep truth is that, the world would not be a safer place with the Chinese as a super power due to their ideologies. However, every fact and every piece of information points out to Chinese as the next world’s super power. The United States should therefore feel threatened by China on numerous fronts as discussed above. The paper has illustrated the advantages that China has against the US which all present the country with a possible threat of loss of glory. Every aspect currently is important even the fact that China has the largest military force compared to the US.
In conclusion, the paper has shown clearly that china is a threat to the United States both politically and economically. The United States requires a strategic plan to ensure that there is a counter growth and development to avoid losing the glory to China. Scholars see China take advantage of their supremacy to change and reshape institutions and rules to favor their interest in the international front. The scholars further argue that power transition will see conflict, tension and distrust which is dangerous for the whole world.
Bibliography
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