REVIEW OF LITERATURE

After the end of the Second World War, The U.S. and S.U. were the
world’s largest powers. However, various circumstances brought the two major
powers into confrontation. The Cold War, temporarily, restructured the global
order, and took America on the apex of the power hierarchy. Nevertheless, less
than half century, a new rising star turned out to be the most pressing power
challenges American economy, China. Therefore, Sino-American relation,
especially the uncertain future, will shape the history of the twenty first
century. Thereby, there is an ending stream of books, articles and magazines
tackle a major debate of China’s rise, and it dig out whether China’s threat to
the U.S. supremacy has any validity, and are China and America on the brink of
Second Cold War. The overall researches of the international relation theories
can be categorized into two main schools: the Realistic pessimistic camp and
the Liberals optimistic internationalism crowed.

Therefore, as America is the world’s largest power, the economic reality

of China’s rise presses a challenge to America’s supremacy. Thus, realistic and
liberals predict the future of Sino-American relation. Liberals believe that the
conflict is not helpful to the greatest economies of the world because of their
economic interdependence ties, which mitigate the conflict. On other hand,
each of which have to ease the tensions and work towards mutual cooperation
through what is named “Spiral Cooperation”1.Moreover, great thinkers hold
the liberal’s vision on the future Sino-American relations. For instance, Henry
Kissinger, an American statesman and government official, states that China’s
rise does not necessitate any conflict. He argues that it would better for the
united State sharing its power with china to avoid any inevitable tension.2
1
Goldstein, Lyle J. Meeting China Half Way: How to Defuse The Emerging U.S.-China Rivalry. Washington: Georgetown University press,
2015. Print.

2
Henry A. Kissinger, “The Future of U.S.-China Relations: Conflict Is a Choice, Not a Necessity,” Foreign Affairs, March/April 2012. Print.
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It is true, China and the U.S. economic ties are too strong, but china
continues rise economically, as well as socially, which will be as equal as
America’s economic power or even stronger on the years ahead 3. Thus, China
will attempt to address the world’s power, which leads the American fall and
confirm china’s threat.

Conversely, Realism, which is eventually contrasted liberalism, states

that china’s economic rise presents a real threat to U.S. hierarchy. For that
reason, competition and conflict between the two world’s greatest economies
are very expected on the next decades. Paul Kennedy, a British historian
specialized in international relations and economic power strategies, states
that often the fall or the rise of any great power is highly related to its military
strength. However, nowadays the economic growth disposes the rise or the
decline of any nation.4 Consequently, the Chinese economic power presents a
risk to the America’s international world structure.

Almost all the predictions expect that China’s rise will get stronger and
stronger on the future. However, there is a possibility that China’s rise will not
stand for a long time, which deprives china’s threat to the American authority. 5
Furthermore, No doubt, America is the world’s largest superpower, and China
has a great economic growth. Therefore, the power gap between the U.S. and
China narrows. On other hand, Sino-American relations based on partnership
ties, at the same time, there are competition signs that may destabilize the
bilateral relations, which realize China threat to U.S. world’s order.
3
Joseph Nye, “A New Great Power Relationship?”, accessed online on July 20, 2013 at

http://www.chinausfocus.com/foreign-policy/a-new-great-power-relationship/.

4
Advind Subramanian, “The Inevitable Superpower,” Foreign Affairs, September/October 2011, Vol. 90, Issue 5, pp.66-78. Print.

5
Robert Manning, Atlantic Council, “Envisioning 2030: U.S. Strategy for a Post-Western World,” Report of the Strategic Foresight
Initiative, Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, 2012, p. 34. Print.
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Overall, the reality of China’s economic growth plays an important role in

the future of Sino-American relations. Moreover, as Napoleon Bonaparte said,
«Let China sleep for when she wakes up, she will shake the world.” 6 the
Chinese social character has significant influences in the bilateral relations.
Thus, socio-economic factor is the most and even the main factor in China’s
economic growth, as well as, the implication of Sino-American relation.

6
Xué Xinran, “Why China won’t Conquer the World”. Accessed online on 02 October, 2011 at

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8796486/Why-China-wont-conquer-the-world.html