Challenges faced by the USA in China and the East Asian Region - Essay Example

Challenges faced by the USA in China and the East Asian Region The twenty-first century is mainly about policy decisions the governments makes and the counter-policies that major economy governments like the USA and China make regarding them. The major economies of the world in the twenty-first century include the USA and China. They are the most influential countries regarding military endowment, economic might, and political superiors. Even as this is true, other countries fit into the jigsaw and the relationship these two countries have towards the others and between each other is important in running the global economy and stability (Lee, Sung-Bok, 18-35). China’s economy has been on top of the other best-performing economies for about four decades now, and this resulted from the reforms it has undergone since 1979. The average economic growth is about seven percent per year. The rising China economy has contributed a lot to globalization and has become almost the single most important factor that is shaping the fast-changing geopolitical landscape in the 20th century. This rise has shifted the focus of the developing world towards the East Asia, something that has undermined the reputation of the USA among the developing countries (Lee, Sung-Bok, 18-35). China has emerged as the world’s largest manufacturing platform and has compelled the global manufacturing networks and national economies. The rivalry between the USA and China has made the other regional countries in the East Asia to fear for an anticipated confrontation between the two rival countries. The countries in East Asia that happen to border China and Japan including South Korea and North Korea have had problems relating to the two countries as associating with them would be seen as taking sides. This has made the USA lose allies in the East Asia including the North Korea that has taken to support the Chinese government. This means that the United States has lost ties with countries that could help it with information and agricultural products like the South Korea (Lever-Tracy, Constance, 103-116). The East Asian countries have united against the USA policy dominance and interests in the in the region. For instance, the US missile defense efforts, only the Japan is supporting it while China strongly opposes the move while the South Korea remains a bystander. Japan is strongly championing for the Asian Monetary Fund, and a seat in the United Nations is slowly complicating the United States leadership in the Asian region. As much as Japan’s plan seems to benefit the greater East Asian region, China still finds this as a stumbling block as it is determined to cripple Japan’s regional and global influences (Lever-Tracy, Constance, 103-116). The United States of America’s stand against the Asian national dignity and sovereignty on the grounds of human rights and labor rights on which the Asian countries have thrived for a long time. This is bound to be a basis on which the Asian countries are likely to find a common ground against the United States. The regional countries leaders are planning to use other sectors where the United States of America’s setbacks like the perceived unilateralism. The use of the setbacks will force the United States policy makers to be more considerate and more consultative in policies affecting the Asian region (Lever-Tracy, Constance, 103-116). An anticipated United States of America’s recession will only lead to strengthening intransigence on trade issues on the both sides of the Pacific region. This will stand to benefit the Asian countries adding more weight to the reason the Asian countries would want to unite against the US. Regional countries that are dependent on China for financial support and other grants have sidelined themselves from the United States for fear of losing the support and vice versa (Lever-Tracy, Constance, 103-116). As the USA boast of being the superpower for many decades, they cannot deny that China is a constant threat to their superiority in this century. China is the only great economy that is still in its definition state between the two countries both internationally and locally. The debate about China being the next superpower has become very popular recently because of how fast their economy is growing. The time the other great powers in the world took quite a long time to reach their realm while China seems to a short time to become one of the greatest powers. China, therefore, is one of the ascendant powers and most dynamic. It is a queer contrast with the USA in that it had government philosophy came before the establishment of the nation. China boasts of civilization that goes back about five thousand years, but they have only spent the last century to define its modern state. This makes China a working progress (Lee, Sung-Bok, 18-35). The rapidly rising Chinese economy is a challenge the USA is not ready to leave lying down. The United States as a superpower would want things to remain as they are without constant threats from rival economies like the one posed by China. The rising military capability of China and the uncertain larger Asian aspirations is a major challenge for the USA. The Japan-USA tie is expected to boost the positive impact/behavior by both South Korea and China, hence engage cooperatively and constructively with Beijing (Lever-Tracy, Constance, 103-116). The moment the unstable relationship between South Korea and Japan fails to improve, both China and North Korea stand to benefit from the conflicts. The prevailing relationship between Japan and the United States of America has brought much animosity between the East Asian regions as tension now exists in the region. The USA-Japan relationship is sending wrong messages to the neighboring countries, and this could harm Japan’s regional standing and with the United States (Lee, Sung-Bok, 18-35). Works Cited Lever-Tracy, Constance. 'Dependency and Rivalry: East Asia, Japan And The West'. Asian Journal of Social Science 26.2 (2008): 103-116. Lee, Sung-Bok. 'Globalization and the Global City: Meeting The Challenges of The Twenty- First Century'. East Asia 18.2 (2009): 18-35. Read More