Isolationism & Globalism in U.S. - China Relations

This is the sixth book about current events happening between the U. S. and China. The U. S. and China both have made significant changes in their foreign policies towards each other and towards the rest of the world. China was forced into isolation in most part of 20th century until the U. S. adopted the Nixon-Kissinger doctrine. Then China was embraced back into the world. by the U. S. This change of policy by the U. S. was motivated by the goal confining the Soviet Union and the spread of communism, but it has given China, which had long parted her way with the Soviet Union, the opportunity to develop and grow her economy in her own way in an amazing pace to become the number two economy in the world with just a little over three decades of time. The U. S. touted isolationism in her founding era, but essentially interpreted and practiced isolationism in her foreign policy to her advantage. The U. S. eventually emerged as a super power surpassing the European nations by balancing their power. In relative sense, the U. S. economy, once peaked at 40% of the world economy, has been reduced to less than half of the current world economy owing to the faster pace of economic growth in Asian countries, especially that of China. Hence, the U. S. felt the stress from maintaining her global leader position up-keeping her military and economic presence all over the world. China's rapid rise and her successful engagement in the global affairs are perceived as a threat by the U. S. The above background can explain why the U. S. has initiated a trade war against China and has stirred up several confrontational issues, such as navigation right in South China Sea, Taiwan status, North Korea nuclear threat, trade imbalance, technology competition, etc. etc. China on the other hand has been focusing on lifting her citizens above poverty and eagerly pursuing globalism by proposing an ambitious global economic development program (named Belt and Road Initiative, BRI), which calls for collaborative economic development along a land road and a sea belt from Asia to Europe via central Asia and Africa and Pacific to Atlantic through Indian Ocean. This is a very different kind of globalism from the one led by the U. S. This book presents essays on various topics and different issues confronting the U. S. and China with the hope that rational thinking will take place to guide the U. S. - China relations back to collaboration and engagement from isolation or confrontation for their mutual benefits and world prosperity.