China and the United States: A New Phase

Americans of different interests and different ideological persuasions have consistently idealized elements of China. Creating their own mythical Chinas, they have uniformly been disappointed by events. Now that Nixon has made a new opening toward improving relations with Peking, it is important for the American public to have a realistic understanding of why Peking and Washington at this point in time find it advantageous for their separate national interests to seek a degree of mutual accommodation. Analysis of the Shanghai communique reveals the skillful manner in which Chou En-lai was able to put aside the Taiwan issue as he leads a post-Cultural Revolutionary China in search of greater international security, particularly from a major Soviet military threat. The prime cause of change has been the emergence of a new and complex balance in Asia involving quite incommensurate powers. The key relationship is likely to be the Sino-Soviet confrontation because it is uncertain how the Soviet Union will react to the growth of Chinese power, especially nuclear. Ultimately American policy will depend upon the attitudes and sentiments of the American people about China; and hopefully the American public has been exposed to enough romanticizing about foreign political systems that they will be able to pierce through new attempts at myth-making and help to place U.S.-China relations on a solidly realistic basis.