RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHINA AND THE WEST 2

Running head: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHINA AND THE WEST 1

Relationship between China and the West since the 1800s

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Relationship between China and the West since the 1800s

The relationship between China and the West is complicated in the modern day in regard to
issues of foreign policy and other internal policies. China has remained in the spotlight of the
West, mostly due to factors such as its rapid economic and demographic growth. However, the
views of china about the West started as early as the 1800s. Over the years, the relations between
China and the West have remained troubled due to a series o emerging issues mostly involving
the foreign policy of china and the meddling of the West in China's internal issues. The opium
wars, the one china policy, the communist control of china, and china's rapid economic growth
have been the main elements that determined the relationship between China and the West over
the years.

The opium wars during the nineteenth century led to friction between China and various
countries in the West. During the nineteenth century, China was involved in two opium wars.
The first opium war started in 1839, when Great Britain sent its troops to use force to ensure that
opium exported to China was not destroyed by the Chinese ruling government (Fay, 2000).
During this period, the Chinese emperor had passed many laws in the attempt of prohibiting the
importation of opium into China. The East India Company started the arrival of opium into the
country. However, many other western players joined the trade, increasing the importation of
opium to China. This also led to the increase of cases of opium addiction among the Chinese
nationals who used the opium. This was the main reason why the emperor decided that it was not
in the best interest of China for the western countries to continue exporting opium to the country,
affecting many people (Fay, 2000). The attempt of the emperor to use force to stop the opium
trade led to the start of the opium war that lasted until 1842 after signing the treaty of Nanking.
However, another opium war also broke up involving China and France in 1853 a few years after
the end of the first opium war. During this period, China implemented stricter policies that would
deter the importation and distribution of opium from the West to the Chinese. The war ended in
1858 after the treaty of Tientsin with the official legalization of the opium trade between the
West and China. However, many other issues emerged in the following years restarting tensions
between China and the West.

The communist control of China during the twentieth century was also another factor that shaped
the relationship between China and the West. After World War II, the cold war started over the
spread of communism. At this point, China and the Soviet Union were the main communist
countries in the world. This created a lot of friction between China and the West, as many
western countries, including the United States, were against the spread of communism and
supported the emergence of capitalism (Shiwen, 2009). The communist control of China led to
economic tensions between China and many other countries from the West. This made the Soviet
Union as China's biggest ally in the West. However, the relationship between China and the
Soviet Union also collapsed in the 1950s. The leading cause for the end of the relationship
between China and the Soviet Union was the misunderstanding of the concepts of Marxism
between the two countries (Shiwen, 2009). Chine started to view the Soviet communism as a
form of revolutionist communism. Eventually, this friction led to the separation of the Western
Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. Even though this shattered the long-lasting relationship between
China and the Soviet Opinion, many other Western countries were now willing to align with
China on some fronts. This caused China to form new friends in the West.

China's One China policy has largely determined the relationship between China and the West.
This policy was implemented by China to imply that only one sovereign state called China
exists. This was implemented in relation to the differences between the Republic of China and
the People's Republic f China. It also involved the issue between Taiwan and Mainland China
(Chen, 2015). The struggle over the control of Taiwan was one of the major issues that derailed
the relationship between China and the West. During World War II, Taiwan was under the
control of Japan after Japan had seized it from China in a series of wars between the two
countries. However, China gained more power during World War II and seized Taiwan back
from Japan. At this moment, Japan had signed a treaty of protection by the United States hence
making the seizure of Taiwan from Japan to attract the attention of the United States. Since this
period, the relationship between the United States and China has gradually escalated. This can be
depicted by the move by the recent move by the United States government to sell arms to
Taiwan. China perceives this as a violation of its internal policy since it threatens their control
over Taiwan (Chen, 2015). This shows how the One China policy has remained a major
determinant of the relationship between China and the West.

The rapid growth of China's economy has also been important in shaping the relationship
between China and the West. Before the end of World War II, China was one of the most
economically deteriorating countries. The differences over the use of capitalism and communism
in China also escalated the economic position of the country in the mid twentieth century.
However, China managed to regain its momentum, becoming the second-largest economy in the
world after the United States. This economic position has ennobled China to create many friends
in the West through mutual trade and other economic benefits (Huang, 2019). However, it has
also increased the tension between China and other countries, such as the United States and its
allies. These countries feel threatened by China's economic policies and the possibility that China
could grow into the world's largest economy in the future. These tensions have led to trade
disputes between the United States and China hence affecting their gradually growing sino –
American relationships (Huang, 2019). Due to the huge influence of the United States in the
West, it is apparent that the outcomes of the trade dispute would be vital in determining the
relationship between China and the West in the future.

Therefore, it is clear that the relationship between China and the West has hardly been stable
since the nineteenth century. There are many differences in terms of foreign policy and internal
policy between China and many countries in the West. Most Chinese policies such as their
position on the opium trade and the Once China policy were not welcomed warmly in the West-
leading to tensions and wars. The differences in economic policies between China and the West
in terms of capitalism and communism are also a major cause of the tensions between the two
regions. Although there have been signs of improved relations, the emergence of the trade war
between the United States and China is also a new threat to the relationship between China and
the West.

References

Chen, D. (2015). America's Liberal Culture, One China, and the Security of Taiwan. American
Journal of Chinese Studies, 22, 209-233. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/44289168
Fay, P.W. (2009). The Opium War, 1840-1842: Barbarians in the Celestial Empire in the Early
Part of the Nineteenth Century and the War by Which They Forced Her Gates Ajar. California:
Univ of North Carolina Press.

Huang, Y. (2019). Can the US-China Trade War Be Resolved? The Diplomat.

Shiwen, W. (2009). The Sino-Soviet split: Cold War in the communist world. Cold War History,
9:4, 525-526, DOI: 10.1080/14682740903268586