U.S.-China relations have changed significantly over the last 65 years. The drastic changes from conflict to cooperation and from isolation to economic interdependence shows a lack of ideological consistency from either side. Although it is important to understand the ideology of both states, as it is how they perceive they world and make what is to them rational decisions, both the U.S and China are best understood as realist states. Rapprochement was sought in the middle of hostile relations to increase the security interests of both states, not to advance ideology. In the time after the initial move towards rapprochement, we can see through U.S-China relations that states will either contradict or change their ideology to suit their actions.
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When the U.S. began to break promises made to China, a show of force from both sides occurred. Ten years after the 1982 communiqué, the U.S. began to renege on its promises and sold Taiwan 150 F-16 planes. Two years later this was followed by the U.S. allowing Lee Teng-hui to visit Cornell university. (Ross 2000: 87-91) This was one state testing the waters, and exploring the response they would receive in the post cold war world. The F-16 sales was allowed by Bush simply because he thought he could get away with it. Lee 's visa was approved not because Clinton thought it would be a smart move internationally, but because he gave in to an overwhelming majority who voted for it in the U.S. Congress. The representatives in Congress were certainly intelligent enough to know that passing this would have negative repercussions on U.S.-China relations, but it would look bad politically to vote against the visa. China was becoming increasingly upset with the independence movement leading up to the Taiwanese election and U.S. actions leading up to to it. China pushed the U.S. for a fourth communiqué and for actions, not just words, to stop another incident like the Lee visit. The U.S. state department responded by saying they had made their position on Taiwan clear and were not willing to change …show more content…
U.S-China relations illustrate this clearly. The establishment of diplomatic relations between ran counter to the ideology of both states and was for both states solely a move towards greater security. When relations were established, both states engaged in negotiating by giving up items of ideological importance to them. When U.S-China relations breakdown, we witness the true competition between the states: a competition of
When the U.S. began to break promises made to China, a show of force from both sides occurred. Ten years after the 1982 communiqué, the U.S. began to renege on its promises and sold Taiwan 150 F-16 planes. Two years later this was followed by the U.S. allowing Lee Teng-hui to visit Cornell university. (Ross 2000: 87-91) This was one state testing the waters, and exploring the response they would receive in the post cold war world. The F-16 sales was allowed by Bush simply because he thought he could get away with it. Lee 's visa was approved not because Clinton thought it would be a smart move internationally, but because he gave in to an overwhelming majority who voted for it in the U.S. Congress. The representatives in Congress were certainly intelligent enough to know that passing this would have negative repercussions on U.S.-China relations, but it would look bad politically to vote against the visa. China was becoming increasingly upset with the independence movement leading up to the Taiwanese election and U.S. actions leading up to to it. China pushed the U.S. for a fourth communiqué and for actions, not just words, to stop another incident like the Lee visit. The U.S. state department responded by saying they had made their position on Taiwan clear and were not willing to change …show more content…
U.S-China relations illustrate this clearly. The establishment of diplomatic relations between ran counter to the ideology of both states and was for both states solely a move towards greater security. When relations were established, both states engaged in negotiating by giving up items of ideological importance to them. When U.S-China relations breakdown, we witness the true competition between the states: a competition of