China and the U.S. have had a contentious relationship for a decent amount of history. It would be hard for one country to thrive without the other in a vast amount of aspects, yet both countries’ governments have never been on the same page. Major issues between the two countries include: China and the United States’ trading relationship, China’s growing military power, and the chinese espionage going on within the U.S. borders.
Major trading between the two countries has been going on for decades, and it has done both good and bad to America’s economy. The cheaper products that have flooded U.S. markets do come off as more financially attainable, yet the quality is considerably lower. The U.S. businesses that moved their labor to Chinese soil also meant fewer jobs for mostly blue-collar U.S. citizens. This controversial topic caused and continues to cause issues with the average American’s perceptions of China as a whole.
Another issue between the two countries is the current military standoff, which is still developing. According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, “No one is quite sure what the Chinese plans are, but the growth of China’s nuclear arsenal is not new.” While the U.S. is revered for being one of the top military powers in the world, China has been building a competitive arsenal for quite some time now, which could lead to some future competition in that aspect. Although China and the U.S. are allies, it doesn’t mean that their relationship is solidified indefinitely.
A more recent conflict with U.S. and Chinese relations is espionage. According to the Center for Strategic International Studies, “It should be noted that the incidents of Chinese Espionage far outnumber those by any other country.” If one were to put a dollar sign on the loss of technological and commercial assets, it could easily reach the billion-dollar mark. CSIS.org also states that “In the last few years, China has added the theft of massive quantities of personal information (PII), political coercion, and influence operations, to its espionage activities.” This means that not only is government information being stolen, but U.S. citizens’ personal information is also being hacked into. This could be as little as phone numbers, emails, and addresses or as confidential as bank information and social security numbers.
The relationship between Chinese and American governments and businesses is strong due to their close correlation, however, they could as easily become enemies as they are friends. With the encroaching threat of more stolen information, it is easy to place blame. Still, it would be tough for the U.S. to maintain the economy it currently possesses without China. Likewise, it would be difficult for China to exist without the jobs that the U.S. provides. Both countries are on a slippery slope, and it will be immensely difficult to untangle them.
