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- Source/Scholar of Literature and History
- Author/scholar of literature and history
Since the 70s of the 20th century, the relationship between China and the United States has gradually eased, and throughout the 80s, the relationship between China and the United States has been relatively harmonious, so it is called the "honeymoon period" between China and the United States.
However, after entering the 90s, China's relations suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse, and the United States introduced a series of policies against China, aimed at restricting China's development.
As a result of the dramatic shift, the relationship between China and the United States has gradually become antagonistic, and many people have asked why the United States has been provoking disputes against China in various ways over the years.
Different people have different understandings about the answer to this question. A British scholar summed up many arguments and gave an incisive explanation: because China committed an "original sin".
So, what is the "original sin" that British scholars are talking about, and what are the reasons why the United States is targeting China?
The core of the three major arguments lies in China's "original sin"
The main reasons for the outbreak of contradictions between China and the United States can be roughly divided into three aspects: the first is the social system, the second is the cultural field, and the third is the ethnological field.
In the eyes of many people, the root cause of the conflict between China and the United States is actually the difference in social systems, China is a socialist country, while the United States is a capitalist country, so conflicts will break out.
There is some truth to this statement, but it is not the main reason for the conflict between China and the United States.
Because in the 80s of the 20th century, China and the United States reached close cooperation, which shows that China and the United States can coexist peacefully, and the difference in national systems is not the main reason for the outbreak of conflict.
In addition, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia is also a capitalist country, and Sino-Russian relations have not been antagonistic due to differences in social systems, but have always maintained a good cooperative relationship.
The same or different national systems do not determine relations between countries. China, the Soviet Union, and Vietnam are all socialist countries, and contradictions have erupted.
The same is true in Western capitalist countries, where the state system is the same, but there are many examples of large-scale fights.
Cultural differences can create many problems, and sometimes wars break out as a result, and such examples are not uncommon in history.
However, this does not mean that China and the United States are in conflict because of cultural differences, and there are indeed huge cultural differences between China and the United States, and it is difficult to reach a consensus in many aspects, but from the actual results, cultural differences are not the main reason.
Like the social system, China and the United States can still reach cooperation even if there are huge cultural differences, which shows that cultural differences can be overcome, at least, the root cause of Sino-US contradictions is not cultural differences.
Even if the culture is similar, it is not uncommon for conflicts and even wars to break out. For example, in Western capitalist countries, the culture is basically the same.
However, in modern times, Britain and the United States have been in constant conflict, and wars have often broken out during the most acute period, which shows that cultural differences are not the main factor determining the relationship between countries.
In terms of race, racial differences are indeed a very important factor. Racism has had a great impact on the world, and in World War II, Germany carried out a brutal genocide.
Today's United States is also anxious because of the problems caused by racism, and the difference in race does have a certain probability of causing contradictions between countries.
However, historical facts have proven that race is a secondary, not the primary, factor in determining relations between nations.
Most of the capitalist countries in the West are white, but there are still constant conflicts between countries. When people are not of the same race, sometimes they can maintain long-lasting peace.
The same is true in the East, where China and Japan are of the same race, but the same war broke out, and there have always been great contradictions.
Therefore, none of the above three reasons are actually the main reasons. However, this is not to say that all of them are unreasonable, and the above three reasons do have an impact on the U.S.-China relationship, but they are not the decisive factors.
The decisive factor influencing Sino-US relations is the theory of "original sin" put forward by British scholars.
Strong and disobedient to US hegemony
In the view of British scholars, the problem of "original sin" in China is the fundamental reason why the United States continues to target China.
Even if China and the United States have the same social system, similar cultural background, and even if they are of the same race, the United States' attitude toward China will not change.
If China's "original sin" problem cannot be resolved, the United States will continue to target China.
The original sin mentioned by British scholars is that China's power has threatened the hegemony of the United States, and most importantly, China will not submit to US hegemony like some countries.
Before the 80s of the 20 th century, the main reason for the United States to suppress China actually had little to do with China itself, mainly to target the Soviet Union, and the United States did not discriminate against the Soviet Union's allies.
In the 70s and 80s, when the Sino-Soviet Union became more and more hostile, the United States decided to try to contact China in order to weaken the influence of the Soviet Union in East Asia, which was one of the reasons why China and the United States were able to reach friendly and cooperative relations.
In addition, China was not strong enough at that time to compare with the United States in development other than nuclear weapons.
Therefore, the United States believes that there is no threat to China, and that by cooperating with China, American interests will not be harmed, and on the contrary, it will enhance the international influence of the United States.
After more than 10 years of cooperation, China's economic and military strength have been greatly enhanced, especially since the beginning of the 21 st century, the speed of China's development has completely exceeded the estimates of the United States.
At this time, it is completely impossible for the United States to contain China's development. Over time, China has grown in strength and international influence.
Gradually, the United States found that its hegemony had been challenged, and hegemonism began to be somewhat unworkable.
If China can submit to US hegemonism, the United States will naturally not try to restrict China's development by all means. The problem is that it is impossible for China to submit to US hegemonism.
Historical facts have proven that subordination to US hegemonism will end quite miserably.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang government obeyed American hegemony and became a pawn of the United States and was almost abandoned.
If it were not for the impact of the Korean War, Chiang Kai-shek would not have been able to gain a foothold in Taiwan at all, and the Taiwan Strait issue would not have existed.
In addition, the situation in Japan and South Korea can also be seen, and the results of subordination to US hegemonism can be predicted.
The U.S. sanctions against China are very different from those imposed on other countries. North Korea, Cuba, and other countries in the Middle East have all had conflicts with the United States, but they have taken completely different measures than China.
Therefore, the US sanctions against China are actually China's national strength has increased to the extent that the United States has to be afraid, and there is a big difference in the ideology of the two countries, and China will not submit to US hegemonism.
Taken together, these two factors are what British scholars call "original sin." It is precisely because of the existence of "original sin" that the United States will constantly target China in order to ensure its hegemony.
The only way to resolve the contradictions between China and the United States is for the United States to change its own views and then cooperate with China in friendship and cooperation and peaceful coexistence.
From this point of view, the contradictions between China and the United States are difficult to resolve and will persist for a long time.
So judging from the current situation, will the U.S. suppression of China be effective, and what will be the final outcome?
In vain, the United States will eventually fail
Judging from the current situation, the United States' suppression of China can be effective, but the cost is very heavy, sometimes killing 1,000 enemies and losing 800, and sometimes killing 1,000 enemies and losing 1,200.
Generally speaking, the US sanctions against China actually outweigh the losses, and if the United States keeps imposing sanctions on China, its own development will be greatly negatively affected.
First of all, on the economic front, for many years, the United States has imposed a relatively strict economic blockade on China, and has also launched a so-called economic war in an attempt to hit China's economy.
However, these economic sanctions have basically not played a big role, and China's economy has maintained relatively stable growth. On the other hand, the United States, because of these measures, continues to have a sluggish economic development.
Secondly, in terms of public opinion, Western capitalist countries, led by the United States, often publish the so-called "China threat theory", which is intended to explain that after China becomes strong, it will invade other countries in order to smear China.
However, the fact is that since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it has established friendly diplomatic relations with many countries, and China has never used force except in self-defense and in retaliation.
On the other hand, the United States, in the name of safeguarding world peace, constantly provokes wars and then reaps benefits from them. Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other regions are all at war because of the United States.
Facts speak louder than words, and no matter how the United States and Western capitalist countries try to smear China, it will not produce much effect, and it will backfire, making more countries disgusted with the United States, and the international status of the United States will be greatly reduced.
Finally, in terms of strength, although there is still a big gap between the comprehensive strength of China and the United States, judging from the current development trend, it is entirely possible for China to catch up with the United States in the future.
Most of the economic, military, scientific and technological fields of the United States are in a bottleneck period and it is difficult to break through, while China has already surpassed the United States in some areas, which shows that in terms of strength, US sanctions will not have much effect.
To put it simply, the so-called "original sin" is actually imposed on China by the United States. There is no excuse for the crime that the United States wants to add, and the various sanctions imposed by the United States on China are just deliberately made excuses.
On the whole, the various sanctions imposed by the United States on China will not actually achieve much effect, on the contrary, they will have a greater negative impact on the United States.
The more severe the U.S. sanctions against China, the harder China will move forward, and in time, the U.S. sanctions will be completely ineffective, and China will stand proudly in the world.
Resources:
Historical Experience and Important Principles of China-US Relations Source: China Institute of International Studies
"Declassified Archives of the United States and Research on the History of Sino-US Relations" Source: CNKI
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