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Avoiding Extremes in Our China Policy
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17854 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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Date : |
3 / 1990 |
2,595 Words |
| Author
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Paul H. Kreisberg
Paul H. Kreisberg is a senior associate at the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace. |
The current American policy debate over China reflects another of the periodic dramatic swings in American attitudes toward that country that have characterized U.S. policy for over a century. We deal with China in extremes: with contempt or affection, love or have, as an ally or an enemy, in a close embrace or thrust away at a distance.
President Bush has been trying to avoid another in series of dramatic changes that have marked the Sino-U.S. association for over a century. He is fighting an uphill battle.
In the late 1930s and 1940s, China became first a symbol of resistance to Japanese imperialism and then a couragous World War II ally against Japan. In the 1950s, Chinese communists, America's foes in the Korean War, were the source of the concept of "brain-washing" and became standard villains in dozens of movies and novels.
The clock turned again in the 1960s and 1970s when Sino Soviet tensions created an opportunity for America to initiate a new, mutually beneficial strategic relationship with the Chinese communists.
The next decade was marked by bilateral flare ups over Chinese suppression of demonstrations by Tibetans and students for more democracy and civil rights. But far more striking was the rise in popular American sympathy and admiration for China, as tolerance for a wide range of social and economic reforms emerged in the People's Republic.
By the end of the 1980s, however, economic reforms were producing rapid growth but also a severe
... (1992 of 16372 Characters)
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