U.S. and China Relations

In the late 1970s, China was ranked twentieth in terms of trade volumes in the whole world as well as being predicted to be the world’s top nation concerning trading activities (Kaplan, 53). This further predicted the country to record the highest GDP growth in the whole world. The massive increase in the Chinese trading relations was fueled by the United States in the year 1979 through the normal trade relations between the two countries. In addition, the Chinese non-concession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the year 2001 also facilitated its trading activities with different countries including the United States (Kaplan, 57). However, trading relations with the Chinese have been uneasy resulting from the massive trade imbalances in the recent past, which grows exponentially.

In the year of 1848, a significant amount of gold was discovered in Sutter’s Mill. The gold rush not only made Eastern American labors to come to the West, but also caused a large amount of people in China to immigrate over in hopes of a fortune (Tien, Kelly). “Chinese workers then were willing to take jobs that no one else really wants to do,” stated Munson Kwok, president of the LA chapter of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance (qtd. in Los Angeles Times). As stated in Menlo’s Sun Server, when the American economy became unstable during the Panic of 1873, labors thought that the "working and low-paid" Chinese were receiving more money than they should, therefore reducing the non-Chinese workers’ wages.

The way the Chinese dressed, and styled their hair made the Americans perceive them of not having proper gender roles. America had a big problem with the Chinese because they were cheaper labor, so factory owners would hire Chinese over the native-born Americans. Even though the immigrants were deemed as physically unsuitable for labor jobs, they still got hired. Also later on in the future Americans blamed the Chinese for a major depression that occurre... ... middle of paper ... ... of the country or was turned into a slave. The relationship between America and China became very strained during this time.

It allowed China to become the world number one merchandise manufacturer in these days. As their Economy grew, the China’s national power grew up as well. Now, China is one of the world’s economic leaders as well as the United States of America. Though, as the process of Chinese economic and national power grow, an intricate conflict with America has begun; as a root of trade imbalance. The trade deficit of China caused economic depression in the States and the citizens blamed China for all the accompanied issues.

The United States and Chinese trade relation dates back in the year 1971 when these two countries re-opened doors to each other (DoS). Though the relationship of these two economies has been seen to be somewhat un-easy especially due to their recurring trade wars, there have been some significant milestones of mutually beneficial relationship. According to USSB, the trading volume from the year 1971 has significantly been on the rise both in terms of Exports and imports; up to to levels of US Dollars 532.2 Billion in 2012 from a low of US Dollars 4.7 in million in 1972. In a recent wave of discussion on CNBC of how the “Trade gap between these two giants has cost the United States a whooping US Dollars 37 Billion in wages”. The increasing deficit between the two giants has been linked to the loss of wages up to the highs of US Dollars 37 Million in the year 2011 (Holliday).

Pan, Z., 2007. Sino-Japanese Dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands: The Pending Controversy from the Chinese Perspective. Journal of Chinese Political Science, Volume vol. 12, no. 1, pp.

(eds.) Governance in China. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 2004.  Ma, S. The Chinese Discourse on Civil Society.

This was not only applied to the Chinese but to the Japanese as well. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Yellow Peril heightened only more and many more people became racist the Chinese and Japanese. After the 1853 recession, many Californians were looking for cheap labor to capitalize on profits. Chinese immigrants came to America for a assortment of reasons, including work in the Pearl River delta region, and the company of sensibly fast trade routes to the United States, and the attraction of gold. As a result of their lower demand for wages, and their inclination to form self-supporting communities without support, Chinese immigrants became the best option of labor for many people.

Throughout the Gold Rush, members of the Chinese labor force played significant roles in both the social and economic development of the American West, particularly with regards to the construction of the transcontinental railroad. As gold discoveries slowed down and the Civil War gradually came to an end, the First Transcontinental Railroad was finally completed between Omaha and Sacramento. Over time, unemployment began rising across the country, especially in California, where a vast majority of Chinese immigrants resided in. The welcoming of Chinese immigrants slowly began to wear off as the white working class perceived a threat to their livelihood that these immigrants could potentially cause, leading to an increase in racial tensions. These growing tensions culminated in the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 and eventually closed U.S. borders to all Chinese laborers, with the exception of ethnic Chinese individuals.

After the mines were dried out, the Chinese began working on the Continental Railroad. Due to the harsh working conditions and the low wage, these workers went on a strike, demanding a better wage. However, the managers threatened to replace them with African American workers. These Chinese workers had no choice, but to continue working until the railroad was completed. In 1882, the government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited the entering to leaving the United States of Chinese laborers.