The CCP and the United States

The United States and the Chinese Communist Party have developed the most hypocritical relationship to ever grace the world stage. The inconsistency in there diplomatic moral induces corrupted policy, cold-war style military tactics, and incomprehensible espionage. To ignore the threat of the CCP led by the Xi Jinping regime, is to ignore the impending turmoil staring directly at your face. The expansion of the CCP’s influence globally has been one of great debate. In the case of the United States, the relationship with China has been inconsistent to say they very least. The CCP’s general idea of international diplomacy towards the U.S. means utilizing and maintaining as much U.S. capital and resources as possible, while simultaneously remaining hostile. With this said, I want to dissect the CCP and their ties to U.S. influence. How for so long they have been able to openly steal from and manipulate American democracy and still be revered as some form of ally to the current administration is baffling in my opinion. I want to highlight key examples of the CCP’s hostility towards the United States and timeline the moments that shaped the current diplomatic position between the two.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an interview with Newsmax called the CCP “the greatest threat to security of the American people and indeed the free world.” Indeed he was correct. Much of the friction between the two nations stems over Taiwanese support. Established in 1949, the founding of the People’s Republic of China by Mao Zedong was the precursor to the CCP’s development. Mao’s reign would mean thousands of Chinese Nationalist would flee to the island of Taiwan which was supported by the United States during World War II and the Japanese invasion. U.S. support for the country of Taiwan then would lead to decades of limited diplomatic relations with the Chinese mainland. Throughout the 50’s the United States would condemn Mao and the CCP’s foreign affairs during the Korean War and the Tibet invasion citing human rights violations. This in turn would spark aid from the Central Intelligence Agency, providing arms to Tibet, enabling the Tibetan uprising in 1959.

1964 to 79 was a fifteen year period where international relations with the CCP were amplified. In October of 1964 the first nuclear test by China commences with the detonation of their atomic bomb. This enters China into the world nuclear club making them one of the world’s super power nations. The test came during conflict between the CCP and the U.S.’s involvement in Vietnam where Mao had amassed troops on its borders. In 69, China continues border conflict with the Soviets over developmental and ideological differences which led to the Soviets removing advisors from the country. The border violence forces the CCP to replace the U.S. with Soviet Russia as their biggest threat. This in turn begins to mend Beijing’s relationship back home in Washington.

1971 established a step forward in easing tensions between the U.S. and China with the application of the Ping-Pong diplomacy which stemmed from an invitation from the Chinese Ping-Pong players to the Americans for an exhibition. That U.S. team along with several journalists were the first Americans to step foot onto Chinese soil since 1949. In 71, then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger would make a trip back to China under the vail of diplomacy which would then cause the inclusion of the CCP into the United Nations. Nixon would go on to spend eight days in the country in February of 72. He and Mao would sign the Shanghai Communiqué which allowed for difficult conversations to be had between the U.S. and China.

Towards the end of the decade in 1979 President Jimmy Carter goes on to make a complete 180 in regards to sovereignty with Taiwan when he grants China full diplomatic recognition, acknowledging China’s One China principle. The eventual implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act would mend those severed ties with the country of Taiwan. This allowed the U.S. to continue commercial and cultural relations with the country without violating the One China policy.

The Reagan era in the 80’s was a drastic decade that saw the backs of Americans turn towards the Chinese Republic. The Reagan Administration would implement the “Six Assurances” to Taiwan. This includes pledges upholding and honoring the Taiwan Relations Act. However the U.S. would not mediate between Taiwan and China, nor sell arms to the Taiwanese. Thus upholding their agreement to the One China policy. In August of 82 Reagan would then sign a third joint communiqué with the CCP reaffirming relations and allowing arms sales to the Peoples Republic. In 1989 that aid would be halted due to the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing. Thousands of protesters took to the streets demanding democratic reform and prosecution for corruption. Mao would send the military to clear the streets which would leave hundreds dead. These clear human rights violations forced the U.S. to freeze relations.

In 1993 during the Clinton era, China would release political prisoner Wei Jingsheng. In response, Bill Clinton would launch policy formed around constructive engagement with the Chinese. For some reason, when the Chinese would lose the bid to host the 2000 Olympics, they would re-imprison Wei. Four years later in 1997, Clinton would secure Wei’s release again along with a Tiananmen Square protester Wang Dan. One year earlier in 1996, Taiwan would hold its first Presidential vote. The country would be threatened by neighboring China with test missile launches to hopefully thwart the idea of going to vote. Nevertheless, the Nationalist Party’s Lee Teng-hui wins Taiwan’s first free presidential elections by a large margin in March of that year. The year prior in 95 saw the Chinese remove ambassadors from the United States following Lee’s visit with President Clinton. Lee’s visit would break the fifteen-year-old U.S. policy with China against granting visas to Taiwan’s leaders. After the election in Taiwan the U.S. and China would agree to re-exchange officials. The diplomacy wouldn’t last long however. In 1999 NATO and the United States would mistakenly bomb the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. Apologies were too little too late as the death toll rose and Chinese citizens protested and attacked U.S. property.

The first ten years into the 2000’s was an emphatic decade for Chinese growth off the back of American support. In October of 2000, President Clinton would sign the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000. This granted Beijing full permission to normal trade relations with the United States. This in turn would usher China into the World Trade Organization in 2001. This would see the trade revenue exchanged between the two countries reach $231 billion. China would then pass Mexico as America’s second biggest trade partner behind Canada. In 2001 the United States would have a bit of a scuffle with their newly found business partners when a U.S. Intel plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet. The Chinese pilot would lose his life and twenty-four U.S. service members would be held captive after the plane had to land in a Chinese port. They would be released after an intense twelve day standoff.

In 2005 former Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick opens a strategic dialog with China as he recognizes Beijing as an emerging super power. In doing so he calls on Chinese leaders to be the beacon of light for other countries to join the international system of commerce and trade. China would increase its military spending in 2007 reaching nearly $45 billion. This prompts a visit from then U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. Upon his return Cheney stated that the buildup of the Chinese military is “not consistent” with the stated goal of a “peaceful rise.” Chinas response to the skepticism was that they were looking to increase military pay and “protect national security and territorial integrity.” In 2008 The United States and China underwent drastic economic changes. While the United States, along with the rest of the world, would experience the economic collapse of 2008, China would become the largest U.S. foreign creditor. They would pass Japan has the largest holder of U.S. debt and/or treasuries topping around $600 billion. The interdependence between the U.S. and China during the crisis fueled imbalances between the two nations. Come 2010, China rebounds to become the world’s second largest Economy passing Japan. As of now, they are on track to pass the United States by 2027.

With this economic rise in full view, the United States began to play their cards. In 2011 former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton outlines a U.S. “pivot” to Asia. This in totality called for “increased investment—diplomatic, economic, strategic, and otherwise—in the Asia-Pacific region”. This was the U.S. attempt to slow down the growing influence of the Chinese in the region. In doing so, then President Obama would send 2,500 troops to Australia in case of a response from the Chinese. Trade tensions would rise in 2012 when then United States trade deficit with China raised from $273.1 billion in 2010 to a record high of $295.5 billion in 2011. In March of that year the U.S. along with Japan and the EU file a “request for consultations” with China at the World Trade Organization due to its restrictions on exporting rare earth metals. It argues China's quota violates international trade norms, forcing multinational firms that use the metals to relocate to China.

November of 2012 sees the most drastic change in Chinese politics in decades. 70 percent of the ruling body in Beijing are removed and replaced. Li Keqiang takes the role of premier, while Xi Jinping replaces Hu Jintao as president, Communist Party general secretary, and chairman of the Central Military Commission. The following summer, President Obama would hold a summit with Xi in hopes of building report and establishing refreshed relations with the country. Both men express support for bilateral and global issues marking a newly established model of power relations.

That relationship would be tested in 2014 when five Chinese hackers are indicted by U.S. Federal court with ties to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. They are charged with stealing technology aligned with trade. China in response suspends its cooperation in the U.S.-China joint cybersecurity group. Later into 2015 U.S. law enforcement signal that there is mounting evidence that Chinese hackers are behind the major online breach of the Office of Personnel Management and the theft of data from twenty-two million current and formal federal employees. Meanwhile at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Obama and Xi are making a joint statement regarding climate change.

The South China Sea becomes a hot bed issue in 2015. Then Defense Secretary Ashton Carter called for the halting of development of Chinese islands in their reclamation efforts. U.S. inelegance detailed the construction of man-made islands storing military equipment for the Chinese. A clear military escalation. These disputes last well into 2017 which led to then President Trump’s acknowledgement of the continuation of the One China policy, easing tensions once again. Trump would host Xi at his Mar-a-Lago resort where a ten-part agreement is enacted between Beijing and Washington to expand trade of products and services such as beef, poultry, and electronic payments. A prosperous moment for both countries’ economies would not last too long. Going into 2018 Chinese cyber-attacks began to become more prevalent in U.S. cyber spaces. The Trump administration would respond with mass tariffs on Chinese imports totaling nearly $50 billion. This is in response to what the U.S. Federal government alleged is Chinese theft of U.S. technology and intellectual property.

October 4th 2018, Vice President Mike Pence signals a hardline approach towards China in a speech that outlines the very fabric we cover ourselves in today with the country. The United States would prioritize “competition over cooperation” with China. Pence cites the growing Chinese economic influence as “economic aggression” and vows to fight back with tariffs. Pence also alarms the growing power of the Chinese military and highlights several instances of recent Chinese aggression towards the United States both militarily and intellectually. In December of that year Meng Wanzhou an executive of the Chinese telecom company Huawei is arrested by the United States. Meng violated trade sanctions against Iran and would commit fraud. Trump would use her arrest as leverage during trade talks. President Trump would go on to ban the use of Huawei for Federal agencies and encouraged other countries to prevent the use of the company on suspicions of spying for the CCP. Following the outlawing of Huawei, Trump would ban all U.S. companies from using foreign-made telecoms companies that could threaten national security. Huawei is then moved to the U.S. Commerce Department’s foreign entity blacklist.

In August of 2019 the United States would label China a currency manipulator after the Chinese central bank allows the yuan to deteriorate substantially. This in result means anything the United States imports from China now faces taxes. Beijing warns of “financial market turmoil.” 2019 also saw the protest over a controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong in China. The protests were responded with Chinese military force violently intervening. In response, President Trump would sign the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act which authorizes the United States to sanction individuals responsible for human rights abuses in Hong Kong. It also requires U.S. officials to evaluate every year whether Hong Kong enjoys a “high degree of autonomy” from Beijing. While the CCP would condemn the Act, Hong Kong would enjoy a prosperous win over the regime.

January of the next year the “Phase One” trade deal is signed by Trump and Vice Premier of China Liu He. The deal relieves some of the U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports and commits China to purchasing an additional $200 billion worth of American goods. This included agricultural products and cars, over two years. China also pledged to enforce intellectual property protections. Days before the Act is signed, the United States drop the designation of China as a currency manipulator.

2020 through what is now 2022 has become the most tumultuous time between the two nations. Starting with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The origins of the pandemic that has taken millions of lives across the globe has steamed back to a lab in Wuhan China where gain-of-function research was being performed on mutated viruses. This has raised tensions internationally as countries along with the United States see China as the precursor to the event. This would force President Trump to stop funding the World Health Organization due to suspicions of bias towards the Chinese. In response, China would expel thirteen journalists from the country from major news outlets. Xi would demand the end to production of major Western news outlets such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, etc. July of that same year, the United States would force the closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston Texas on suspicions of espionage. Following the Consulate removal, Mike Pompeo confirms engagement with China has failed. Since then, in 2021 alone, China has been cited for genocide upon Uyghur Muslims, “ghost cities” were developed to inflate GDP, and corporate slave labor continues to thrive all within the walls of the country.

As we sit here today in 2022, the Stance between the United States and China is unknown. What we do know however is troubling. China again, is on track to become the world’s largest economy by 2027. China has developed intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles. China leads the world in education and is home to the second largest military force in the world. China is home to current, active slave labor and China is the world’s largest hub for the export of and aid in cyber terrorism. We’ve caught Chinese spies in bed with U.S. Congress members and have forfeited an immense amount of intelligence to their regime. They have reached parts of our solar system we have yet to discover, thus putting them in the lead in the space race. They continue to prove to the United States their superiority. At this moment in time, all the United States can do I smile and wave.