The race for power is a historic rivalry that recruits all advanced countries. This competition was evident during the ‘60s with the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, and for our generation, the tension is now seen in the relationship status of the United States and China. Spoiler alert: it’s complicated.
However, before this situation turns into a reason for people to blindly jump on the patriotism bandwagon, let’s take a look at the facts: first of all, we can disregard the notion that China is a bloodthirsty hegemon hoping to steal the United States’ global power. The Foreign Affairs magazine says: “the perception of China as an aggressive, expansionist power are off base.” The Chinese government has other priorities than challenging the dominance of the U.S.--namely, “to avoid territorial losses, to reduce its neighbors’ suspicions, and to sustain economic growth”, as the magazine detailed.
Also, the website of the US-China Business Council says that there are roughly 240 American companies that are currently doing business with the Chinese, including major corporations such as Apple, Chevron, and the Walt Disney Company. This means that the United States and China are working together as business partners, and are getting along with each other, to some extent.
That’s not to say that competition between the two countries is completely non-existent--Forbes magazine released an article in January of this year, the headline blaring: “China is 175.6% Dependent on the U.S.”. This percentage comes from an analysis of China’s trade surplus in 2011, leading Forbes to conclude that: “175.6% of China’s overall trade surplus last year related to sales to the United States”. In case you failed to notice the “made in China” stickers on just about everything in Walmart, the Forbes statistic provides further proof that China is deeply involved in trade with the U.S.
