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Recently, the United States press in China has focussed its attention upon the mistreatment of Wei Jingsheng and the intentional starvation of orphans in Shanghai. While indeed tragic, these sensationalist articles are unaccompanied by any historical or cultural context. Reporters rarely mention China’s widely-accepted improvements in human rights during the past twenty-five years. Nor do they mention the desire for wealth and political stability after 150 years of turmoil. Beyond simply being misleading, these headlines pose an additional, more troublesome problem—they obscure the real stories occurring in China.

Chinese Economic Potential

One issue, whose implications the US press needs to discuss, is the economic potential that China has begun to realize. China, not the United States, Japan, or Europe, might very well become the economic center of the world within twenty years. Unlike the unrealistic, paranoic projections of Japanese economic dominance, China needs to grow very little to become a superpower, simply because of its population. It has approximately eight times the population of Japan and twice the population of Europe and the United States combined. Furthermore, the Chinese economy grew at 8.2% per year between 1980-1993 (that, along with South Korea, is the fastest growing economy in the world during this time. It is similar to the best period of rapid Japanese growth, achieved in the 60’s). To put it in perspective, China already has the world’s largest car parts and trucking industries, although neither industry is central to its growth. It is not that the average Chinese citizen will be as wealthy as the average US citizen, but rather that the Chinese economy will be absolutely bigger than the United States economy.

The Chinese Economic and Military Threat

Another relevant issue is whether China will pose any military or economic threat to the US, the West, or Japan. Militarily, China is far from being a superpower, since its economy must develop several more stages before being able to support a technology-based industry. China has also been historically isolationist. Economically, the US only stands to gain, since trade is mutually beneficial, especially when a service based economy (such as the US economy) trades with a light or heavy-industry based economy (such as China’s). So, is there any cause for concern at all?

An Anti-China Stance

Sino-US relations have recently turned for the worst. I have heard two complimentary explanations for the souring. Deng Xiaping, the president of China, is on his deathbed. His absence has created a leadership vacuum, which it appears Jiang Zemin will fill. To consolidate power Jiang has chosen two oppositional bedfellows—the anti-reform hard liners and the reform minded military (the military wants reform to promote growth and, therefore, promote state and technological wealth). To unite these two extremes, Jiang has appealed to nationalism, by taking a severe anti-US, pro-unification (with Taiwan) stance.

The United States has played into Jiang’s hands, as well, by taking a seemingly anti-China stance. The US continually caves in to domestic interest groups and pressures China on specific issues. In totality, though, it appears that US policy is anti-China. In the past few years we have linked the most favored nation status to human rights improvements, opposed Chinese entry into the WTO, pushed for adherence to copyright laws, allowed the Taiwanese prime minister to enter the US, sold planes to Taiwan, refused Jiang a formal state visit, protested the building of environmentally abusive dams, etc., etc., etc. While it has not been our intention to limit Chinese growth, our policy, as a whole, has routinely been contrary to China’s interests. The Chinese understand this, but most US citizens do not.

A Different Point of View

Obviously, the US press and its readers must be selective when choosing issues on which to focus. That is why it is so important when a significant matter, such as the rise of China, comes along—the press should pick out the issue and highlight it in bright yellow for all to see. But, the US press in China has highlighted the wrong issues and pointed us in the wrong direction. As a result, we have left a potential superpower to answer our disjointed, seemingly antagonistic policies.

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