The Influence Of State Henry Kissinger On China

In On China, a comprehensive guide to Chinese history, culture, government, and domestic opinion in relation to foreign policy and, specifically, interactions with the United States, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger emphasizes the importance of continued cooperation between the world’s superpowers. As the man who is in many ways responsible for re-establishing large-scale dialogue and trade between China and America after they “had, for twenty years, considered each other implacable enemies” (Kissinger 203.) Henry Kissinger is uniquely qualified to provide insight and an all-encompassing look at this foreign policy consideration from the perspective of the world stage, and also, to offer useful suggestions and predictions for the future.

Kissinger notes that despite classical China’s superior technology, the nation rarely conquered other states, and was careful to reserve military force only for situations that required it (Kissinger 8). Moreover, China’s foreign policy philosophy differentiates from that of the West in that it is based on “subtlety, indirection, and the patient accumulation of relative advantage” (Kissinger 23). Finally, Chinese domestic attitudes are, and have always been, those of inherent, but not imperialistic, superiority; for years, foreigners were referred to by Chinese government officials as “barbarians,” and visitors were required to touch their heads to the ground “three times” when seeing the emperor (Kissinger 34). The culmination of these points is a prideful nation that wants to succeed not because other countries are evil, but because it is right; that has been historically weary of imported goods and people because they believe their domestic capabilities leave little to desire; and that has no problem judging international situations by merit and circumstance, as opposed to a single doctrine. If not carefully monitored and reacted to, China may develop a large scale

Unlike the period above of essential independence and rivalry, following the Korean War and when the Chinese and American governments barely communicated, today’s leaders interact and work with one another regularly. The benefits of this relationship are abundant. Gone are the irrefutable geographic barriers of the past, as over ninety thousand Chinese immigrants come to America annually—a number that’s expected to grow considerably in the coming years (“Key findings of U.S. immigrants,” PewResearch.org).Furthermore, being a stark contrast to China’s past, today’s population relocation patterns are a contrast to nearly every other communist country; foreigners come and go to China with relative ease, and Chinese citizens are free to leave the nation, but the same cannot be said for states like Cuba and North Korea. China is America’s largest trading partner, and the countries conducted over $600,000,000,000 in business in 2016 (“The People's Republic of China,” USTR.gov). Chinese business professionals invested nearly $50,000,000,000 in US companies in 2016, and American business professionals spent almost $14,000,000,000 in Chinese firms during the same