How the United States Must Handle China and Its Military in the 21st C

There is a delicate balancing act a country must be aware of when it is a military superpower. A superpower must exercise extreme care to protect their economic superiority, advance their foreign policies, and project their military might all while working to advance the global system. Enticing China to become a responsible pillar of the global system will be one of the greatest challenges of coming decades for the United States and the Western world-particularly since it appears for the moment China is uninterested in playing such a role. This is the unique situation the United States and China find themselves in, with so many mutual interests, and as the global economy begins to slow, challenges such as: China’s increase in military spending and foreign tension which is rising throughout the Pacific region, highlight the importance of the U.S./China political and military cooperation. However, China’s economic agreements with neighboring countries, the U.S. and Chi nese trade deficit, Chinese foreign policies and military growth, and current U.S. Presidential relations with Beijing all play a decisive role in shaping these two military superpowers. China’s continued refusal to contribute positively to international trade negotiations and constant challenge to their current World Trade Organization (WTO) status places these agencies in a serious state of jeopardy. China is also hurting the global trading system by supporting the creation of a loose but potent Asian trading block. China has difficulties in accepting the terms of membership into organizations which already exist such as the WTO and International Monetary Fund (IMF). They’ve continually challenged the WTO’s rules by exploiting loopholes and the lack of regula... ...007): 26-30. Scobell, Andrew and Wortzel Larry M., Shaping China’s Security Environment: The Role of the People’s Liberation Army. Carlisle: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, 2009. The White House. National Security Strategy of the United States 2010 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2010): 1-60. Tucker, Nancy. Strait talk: United States-Taiwan relations and the crisis with China. Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, 2009. Tzu Sun. The Art of War. Translated by Samuel B. Griffith. New York: Oxford University Press, 1971. Walt, Victor. "China bets on Iran." Fortune 160, no. 8 (2009): 90. Yanhua, Li. "President Hu Jintao and US President-elect Barack Obama Discuss over Telephone 2008-11-09." September 15, 2009. http://www.enghunan.gov.cn/wwwHome/200811/t20081109146216.htm Internet; accessed 9 Aug 2010.