China’s Uncertain Future

Communique in 1972, the precedent was set for the extraordinary relationship between the world’s most powerful and the world’s most populous nation for decades to come. As James Mann suggested in his book About Face, the unique situation of the United States and China, marked by secrecy, countless concessions, and uneasy negotiations, originated from exceptional circumstances and administrative precedent. From the beginning, the US treated China distinctively, as government officials continually followed Kissinger’s footsteps in dealing with the cunning Communist regime. Many factors contributed to this complex relationship, including diplomacy styles, incorrect assumptions, and, most importantly, the geopolitical circumstances of the Cold War. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the glue holding the two nations together has disappeared, and with it the clear intentions of both countries. Now, we are faced with an emerging military and economic superpower of which the future is completely uncertain. Understanding the origins of the opening of diplomatic relations with China is crucial when evaluating a policy for the future. Traditionally, diplomatic relations between any two countries must be formed under common interests and objectives. I