Moving Forward On the Path of Global Studies: The Selected Academic Works of Bin Xia

By Charles Xia

"May I ask where the path is? It is where you take your first step." This book contains some articles during my graduate level. All articles selected to this book are pertinent to international relations in different fields such as political science, economic development, and cultural exchange, which include liberalism and international organizations, globalization, development of urbanization, as well as bilateral and multilateral relationship between China and other major countries in the globe. I want to take this opportunity to thank all professors who guided my research. Meanwhile, the purpose of publishing this book is inspiring me to continue making a positive contribution on my future academic research. I also look forward to feedbacks from readers. Finally, I hope this book will be instrumental for my colleagues who are currently studying international relations to better pursue their dreams.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781640820746

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Moving Forward On the Path of Global Studies

Charles Xia

Copyright © 2018 Charles Xia

All rights reserved

First Edition

Page Publishing, Inc

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc 2018

ISBN 978-1-64082-073-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64082-074-6 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Bin Xia is currently a Ph.D. student and teaching assistant in the State University of New York at Buffalo. During his undergraduate level, he served as the Speaker of the Senate at the Student Government Association of University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point (UWSP), becoming the first international student to serve as this position over the history of UWSP. He used to work in a Congressman’s office and an international business company respectively.

Preface

May I ask where the path is? It is where you take your first step. This book contains some articles during my graduate level. All articles selected to this book are pertinent to international relations in different fields such as political science, economic development, and cultural exchange, which include liberalism and international organizations, globalization, development of urbanization, as well as bilateral and multilateral relationship between China and other major countries in the globe. I want to take this opportunity to thank all professors who guided my research. Meanwhile, the purpose of publishing this book is to inspire me to continue making a positive contribution on my future academic research. I also look forward to feedbacks from readers. Finally, I hope this book will be instrumental for my colleagues who are currently studying international relations to better pursue their dreams.

Bin Xia

May 1st, 2017

Examination regarding Why China and the United States Need to Cooperate with Each Other

--- The Sino-U.S. Bilateral Relationship since Mid-20th Century

Nowadays, China and the United States are two leading economies in the world, and the bilateral relationship between China and the United States is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world, going beyond the bilateral scope and producing a profound influence on the globe. Cooperation between the two countries is attributed to the two leaders’ wise decision-making as well as the strategic policy of reform and opening-up enforced in China. The Sino-U.S. bilateral relationship is of vital importance, and it has come a long way since their diplomatic ties were officially established in 1979. The argument of this paper is that China and the United States need to cooperate with each other, and this paper explores how China and the United States have switched from adversaries to friends over the past four decades. The methods of historical analysis and archival research as well as the concepts of liberalism and globalization are applied to the discussion of this paper.

Historical analysis entails interpretation and an understanding of various historical events and processes. In this paper, a handful of historical events during the normalization and development of the Sino-U.S. bilateral relationship such as the Ping-Pong Diplomacy, the resumption of China’s seat in the United Nations, Nixon’s official visit to China in 1972, the 4th Round of China-U.S. Economic and Strategic Dialogue in 2012, and the 2017 Xi-Trump Summit at Mar-a Lago will be analyzed.

Archival research refers to an important primary research which involves exploring and discovering indispensable information from original archival records. In this paper, a number of significant historical documents such as the Shanghai Communique, the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, and remarks delivered by President Nixon, President Hu Jintao, and President Xi Jinping will be analyzed.

The reason that both liberalism and globalization will be applied to the discussion of this paper is that liberalism greatly encourages China and the United States to cooperate with each other under the framework of globalization. There is no doubt that the two countries are currently having close communication, coordination, and cooperation in extensive areas from tackling global challenges to bolstering global growth, making important contributions to global peace and common development.

As a pivotal paradigm of international relations, liberalism emphasizes that cooperation is crucial in the Sino-U.S. relations due to two reasons. First, liberalism focuses on which multiple interactions occur and where various actors learn from each other and draw from each other’s strengths in the international system instead of a relationship based on the distribution of power among states.¹ China and the United States are respectively the largest developing country and the strongest developed country in the globe. Cooperation between China and the United States would benefit economic development for the two countries. Second, liberalism concentrates on mutual understandings and interests, which will increase with greater interaction, coordination, interdependence, knowledge, as well as communication.² Besides intergovernmental dialogue and consultation, people-to-people exchange is a unique component of the Sino-U.S. relationship, greatly enhancing the mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries.

Referring to the procedure of multilateral interaction and cooperation arising from the interchange of world views, globalization is increasing connectivity where ideas, services, and trades are transferred around the globe. The rapid development in trade, transportation, telecommunication, as well as science and technology has been a major component in promoting globalization, generating further economic interdependence and cultural exchange between countries. Globalization moves beyond borders between countries, increasing the openness of markets, particularly through the elimination of barriers to trade in commodities and services. The critical aim of economic globalization for developing countries is to reduce poverty and increase the standard of living, which is being achieved by developing countries’ increased access to foreign funding from industrialized nations. Those funds could be used for improving the education, health, transportation, and urbanization in developing nations.³ For the Sino-U.S. relationship, globalization brings more employment opportunities when American multinational corporations move their production operations into developing countries such as China. Employment creation will occur in export-processing zones where a large work force is required in order to keep the production running. The One Belt, One Road program initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 attracted American enterprises and encouraged them to take advantage of their economic strengths to provide more employment opportunities for American workers by participating in infrastructure constructions along this transportation route.

In terms of geographic location, it is not difficult for China and the United States to cooperate with each other in the international community because there is no border issue between the two countries. The United States and China do not confront the illegal immigration issue about which the United States and Mexico have been concerned. Apparently, China and the United States are two largest countries in the Asia-Pacific area, and the vast Pacific Ocean has ample space for both countries to get along with each other.

From Adversary to Friendship

Between 1927 and 1949, the legal regime of China was the Republic of China led by Chiang Kai-Shek, Chairman of the Nationalist Party. The alliance between the United States and the Republic of China was strongly formed against Japan. When Japan seized Manchuria in 1931, the League of Nations condemned Japan’s actions and initiated sanctions against Japan. The United States was angered at Japan and sought to support China.⁴

On October 1, 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the birth of the People’s Republic of China with its capital at Beijing, marking the end of semi-colonist society. The founding of the People’s Republic of China produced a profound impact on China’s history such that socialism has deeply penetrated ordinary Chinese peoples’ hearts. In the aspect of internal affairs, a socialist political and economic system governed by the peasantry class was successfully established on the land of China that had been ravaged by a century of foreign invasion and civil wars. In the aspect of foreign affairs, in order to raise China’s international influence, Mao decided to abolish all unfair international treaties signed between the Qing Dynasty (and the Republic of China) and all Western powers. Meanwhile, the United States implemented capitalism. China and the United States had completely different social systems and political ideologies. Most Chinese people considered capitalism to be imperialism; the peasantry class opposed China’s simulation of Western powers such as the United States and its attempt to establish a bourgeois society. If the bourgeois class still existed, they would eventually overthrow the socialist society as well as restore the Western political ideology and economic rule of capitalism in Chinese society.⁵

In the aspect of external reasons, as the Korean War broke out in 1950, the Truman administration resumed economic and military aid to Taiwan and neutralized the Taiwan Strait with the United States Seventh Fleet in order to stop a socialist invasion of Taiwan. Meanwhile, the United States submitted to the United Nations the One China, One Taiwan proposal, which contained the idea of invading Taiwan to establish a U.N. trusteeship. This proposal eventually proved futile due to a strong protest launched by the Chinese government.⁶

An important objective reason that China and the United States suspended their official contact was the containment policy the federal government of the United States strongly advocated, which was a geopolitical strategy to prevent the spread of communism in Europe and Asia. The concept of containment was first summarized by George Kennan in a telegram he sent from Moscow to the Secretary of State; the telegram stated that the Soviet regime was endeavoring to influence some European and Asian countries to accept communism. That the communist invasion launched by the Soviet Union had to be contained was of vital strategic importance to the United States.⁷ Above all, the relationship between China and the United States was hostile during the early period of the People’s Republic of China.

Richard Nixon assumed his presidency in January 1969, but in fact, two years before becoming the president, Nixon had published an article in the Foreign Affairs, stating that developing the diplomatic relationship with China would become the priority of U.S. foreign policy although the United States and China have different political values and norms.⁸ When Nixon delivered his acceptance speech during the 1968 Republican National Convention, he announced that the foreign policy he would implement had been based on the principle of negotiation rather than confrontation. It is a new internationalism in which America enlists its allies and its friends around the world in those struggles in which their interest is as great as ours… We do not seek domination over any other country.⁹ As stated in Nixon’s address, the United States would enter a period of negotiation, and American government under the leadership of Nixon would restore the strength of America due to the slogan of peace through negotiation that Nixon strongly advocated.

After winning the presidential election, Nixon continued to speak publicly of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States and China as a long-range goal for his administration. The reason Nixon strongly believed in the importance of developing the Sino-U.S. bilateral relationship was the obstacle China faced in dealing its relations with the Soviet Union, where its supreme leader withheld the scientific and technical support from China. Nixon expected that the United States would replace the Soviet Union as the principal foreign aid of China’s industrialization.¹⁰

Ping-pong can be considered to be the nationwide sport of China; almost all gold medals for ping-pong in the Summer Olympiad have been awarded to Chinese players. The Ping-Pong Diplomacy had been a unique people-to-people exchange before diplomatic relations between the United States and China were officially established. In order to further promote cultural interaction between the two countries, an American ping-pong delegation consisting of 15 athletes and three journalists was invited to China in 1971. All 15 players were engaged in a number of exhibition matches with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.¹¹ Zhou Enlai, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, met with the U.S. ping-pong delegation in Beijing and told delegation members that people-to-people exchange between China and the United States would deepen mutual understanding between ordinary people from the two countries. As a Chinese saying goes, amity between people holds the key to sound relations between states. People-to-people exchange and political exchange would form two major pillars of the Sino-U.S. relationship. After hearing about a fruitful visit made by the U.S. ping-pong delegation, Nixon encouraged the American people to have more cultural interactions with the Chinese people, and he believed that people-to-people exchange would play a fundamental role in future Sino-U.S. relations.

Meanwhile, the bilateral relationship between China and the United Nations achieved a historic breakthrough in 1971. The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 approved on October 25, 1971 officially recognized the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations, and expelled the Republic of China from the seat in the United Nations where they have unlawfully occupied for 26 years.¹² The United States did not set any barriers regarding restoring the People’s Republic of China’s lawful seat in the United Nations because it was indispensable for the United States to seek China’s support to compete against the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Except for the Ping-Pong Diplomacy, and the People’s Republic of China’s restore in the U.N. seat, a secret political visit paid by Secretary Henry Kissinger to China in 1971 enhanced mutual understanding between the central government of China and the federal government of the United States as well as paved the way for the groundbreaking summit between Nixon and Chinese leaders. By hosting a bilateral talk between Kissinger and Zhou, both the United States and China reached a consensus that President Nixon would visit China in the following year.¹³ After making this significant announcement, Nixon described his official visit to China as a trip for peace. This official visit was not only for the present but also for the future generations. Nixon expected that the friendship between China and the United States would be passed on from one generation to another.

President Nixon started one of the most important foreign visits during his presidency in 1972. The historic handshake between President Nixon and Premier Zhou after landing on the Beijing International Airport was described to be the most important handshake over the 20th century, marking the end of the diplomatic isolation and mutual hostility between China and the United States that existed for 23 years. During this unprecedented visit to China, Nixon told Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou that he would complete the process of the normalization of America’s relationship with the People’s Republic of China during his presidency. After so many years without official contact, the leaders of China and President Nixon found it beneficial to have this opportunity to present candidly to one another their views on a variety of bilateral issues or global issues. The Chinese side stated that all nations, large or small, strong or weak, wealthy or indigent, are equal in the international community. Thus, hegemony has been strongly opposed by the Chinese government. The American side emphasized that it would put its effort into building an impartial and peaceful world.¹⁴ More importantly, the most fruitful consequence achieved during Nixon’s visit was the signing of the Shanghai Communique, becoming the first intergovernmental communique between the United States and China. Regarding the future development of the Sino-U.S. relationship, the Shanghai Communique provided to establish a relationship of mutual respect and trust as well as to promote mutual peaceful dialogue and understanding between the two sides by emphasizing the importance of liberalism.

Although there are essential differences between China and the United States in their social systems and foreign policies, the article 8, article 9, and article 13 of the Shanghai Communique emphasize a handful of principles regarding how China and the United States should get along with each other in the international community. The article 8 states that China and the United States should deal with their bilateral relationship based on the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.¹⁵ The article 9 states that progress toward the normalization of relations between China and the United States is in the interests of all countries.¹⁶ The article 13 states that both sides view bilateral trade as another area from which mutual benefit can be derived, and agreed that economic relations based on equality and mutual benefit are in the interest of the peoples of the two countries.¹⁷

According to the Shanghai Communique, the two sides strongly expressed the aspiration that Nixon’s visit would open up new prospects for the Sino-U.S. relationship because the normalization of the Sino-U.S. relationship in political aspect would contribute to the elimination of tensions in Asia and the world. In addition, trade and business cooperation between the two countries was a new potential, which would contribute to the market expansion and economic growth between China and the United States.

President Nixon’s visit to China can be considered to be the first official visit for a sitting American president to a foreign country with which the United States did not establish an official diplomatic relationship. However, the Watergate Scandal forced Nixon to resign from the presidency of the United States. Although Nixon made a positive contribution to boosting Sino-U.S. bilateral relations, he did not see that the diplomatic relationship between China and the United States was officially normalized during