US-China Summit by Michelle Shail

US China Summit: Will the Real Superpower

Please Come Forward

Text by Michelle Shail | Spring 2011

Several years ago, we transferred our three children from a private to public school because we wanted them to experience diverse nationalities, explore different thought, and to cooperate with and understand the unique and extraordinary cultures around the world. And because the school looks and in many ways feels like the United Nations – we got what we asked for! What we did not know, but quickly discovered, is the amazing concentration of children from Asia. In fact, these children are among the brightest in the school, and their focus and diligence is reflected by a demographic which comprise a large percent of our suburban neighbor. This is a stunning change just inside the last 30 years, and I’m curious as to how these talented engineers, dentists, programmers and doctors from the other side of the world came to live in and dominate our middle class America.

China has the largest population of 1.3 billion people, the largest standing army and second largest defense budget. They have the fastest growing economy, are the world’s largest exporter and second largest importer. By nominal GDP and purchasing power parity, China is the world’s second largest economy behind the United States. And to understand how and why China is the holder of $900 Billion in US debt, stakeholders in major corporations and so amazingly influential with the White House, we have to consider the history of this amazingly resilient country.

China’s history feels almost unfathomable, stretching back to the 13th Century BC. Prior to 1949 China was ruled by Dynasties – hegemonic empires ruled by emperors and empresses. The Tang Dynasty (618-907) in 5th Century China was one of numerous hereditary monarchies. As growth and prosperity intermingled with decline and instability, good fortune shone on the Tang Dynasty. This was predominately a period of innovation, political stability, and economic constancy. Some argue China was the most populous and prosperous country in the world at that time. This high point in Chinese civilization promoted arts and culture, producing famous Chinese poets (Du Fu and Li Bai), painters (Han Gan, Zhang Xuan and Zhou Fang) and a variety of scholarly works of literature.

Like all civilizations grappling with strategies for growth, prosperity, stability and security, the Imperial Dynasty experimented with cultural identities. The Tang Dynasty, for instance, rejected the hierarchal warrior nobility class system in favor of a more civil service system drawn from the Chinese philosopher Confucius. If the United States is to compete and collaborate with the country soon to unseat our preeminence as the world’s largest economy, we must appreciate that which has influenced Chinese culture for 2500 years. Confucianism is a complex system of moral, social and political ideals rooted in the notion that humans are evolving souls seeking actualization through self-cultivation and communal relations. Confucius believed that the study of history and literature was the most important path to wisdom. As the official state teaching of China until 1912, his influence resonated in China’s attention to virtue and benevolence, which directly impacted their definition of civility and appropriate behavior. I can see this influence in our Chinese neighbors – their attention seems to be on their family, their children’s education and the job at hand. I do not ever get the sense that they are “trying to keep up with the Jones” and I’ve never witnessed them in unresolvable conflict with another neighbor.

I’ve just crossed the threshold of 40 and my perception of China’s political, social and economic identity has been shaped during that time. By US standards (and with the prompting of fashionable media outlets) we think of China’s form of government, Communism, as a pejorative. But given the alternative, Communism, under Mao Zedong, may have initially been seen as a saving grace. The last Imperial Dynasty fell in 1912 to the Kuomintang, known as the KMT. By World War II, however, the US began sponsoring an end to the spread of communism. The KMT had organized the country as the Republic of China (ROC) but was unsuccessful in unifying the country and leading it back to prosperity. And when Civil War shredded the country and its economy, Mao Zedong gained revolutionary momentum by appealing to the massive population of struggling peasants. The rules of ancient Chinese warfare suggest that to win the people one must first win the “hearts and minds” of the people. The Communist leader did just that by inserting his knowledge of history and military strategy into political, social, and economic schema. They promised land, distributed food, and developed humanitarian policies for prisoners of war and civilians. And when the Communists won the civil war in 1949, the KMT set up shop in Taiwan, America cut their diplomatic ties, and The People’s Republic of China was born!