The Brookings Institution has published "Addressing U.S.-China Strategic Distrust", a very forthright discussion of relations between the two countries. Wang Jisi, dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University, expressed the Chinese view; he says that he was free to give his opinion. Kenneth Lieberthal, the director of the Brookings Institution’s John L. Thornton China Center, spoke for America.
China's View
The Chinese view of the situation is that distrust of the U.S. by China goes back quite far. However, recent changes have exacerbated the situation. The changes are "the feeling in China that since 2008 the PRC has ascended to be a first-class global power; the assessment that the United States, despite ongoing great strength, is heading for decline; the observation that emerging powers like India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa are increasingly challenging Western dominance and are working more with each other and with China in doing so; and the notion that China's development model of a strong political leadership that effectively manages social and economic affairs provides an alternative to Western democracy and market economies for other developing countries to learn from."
Jisi fears that we will try to stop "or even upset" China's rise. Some examples of these attempts are our shipment of arms to Taiwan, Obama's pivot to Asia and a move to protectionism.
U.S. View
Lieberthal claims that our decision makers don't distrust China. However, they do see things as being rather murky and risky. China's growing rise to military power and its diplomacy around the world is of major concern, particularly with regard to the South China Sea. China's undervaluing of the yuan creates economic worries. Cybertheft by China seems to be rising. And, of course, we wish China were a democracy.
It's good to see differences being spelled out to such a degree that the authors can suggest a path to raising trust.
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