The growing peevishness between China and the US - over arms sales to Taiwan, the Google hack and a general lack of respect for intellectual property rights, the artificial valuation of the yuan that stacks trade surpluses and undercuts competitiveness all in China's favour [although China would argue that since a lot of that cash ends up in the American treasury China therefore not the only beneficiary] [though some economists would argue that all that Chinese cash floating around was like gas to the flames of the housing boom and therefore current economic malaise at least in part the fault of the artificially valued yuan] - whatever - many commenting on this sniping between the two giants - some saying it's just typical Chinese grousing in public about things that annoy them - some saying it's China feeling its oats as a rising super power and that they now feel a little arrogance is justified - some say Obama is setting up concessions that eventually can be made in order to secure China's support viz Iranian sanctions [delusional I say if so] - and some saying it's time the US abandon Taiwan and embrace with goodwill the 'new hope' that is today's China.
My opinion? As long as you believe [as I do] that the gigantic state owned corporation that China essentially is will never willingly expose itself to the unpredictable dangers of democracy nor learn to abide the fickle affections of a truly open society and therefore hold that the somewhat loosely defined and at times awkward spirit of cooperation that presently exists between America and China is more likely than not destined because of fundamental differences to wear thin no matter the latter's economic vigour or continuing embrace of a species of capitalism [in fact one would guess exactly because of those two things] - believing that you as America continue to push back against the inchoate nature of the Middle Kingdom but in ways that are reasonably calibrated and strategically nuanced - you for sure stand by your allies in the Pacific, absolutely do not telegraph a naive weakness by abandoning Taiwan and never take your foot off the gas as far as military expenditures go. In short, work with China when possible, show them the hand when necessary and don't take anything for granted [as in capitalism naturally leads to democracy]. Simple as that.
Essentially, then, my view on how the US should approach evolving relations with China depends on whether you believe it will transition peacefully into a democracy or resist the democratic imperative and constituent norms and conventions of an open society and entrench itself deeper as an oligarchy fueled by a gov't run capitalism. To imagine a peaceful transition is to engage in wishful thinking as far as I'm concerned - logically I only see two realistic scenarios: grievance by the poor and the young and frictions caused by trying to suppress the freedoms capitalism by its nature seeks out lead to eventual social upheaval that results in the emergence of a proto-democracy that may with help succeed in crawling forward or may prove phony [as in Russia] or too weak to survive, collapsing back into a more severe iteration of a the status quo; or that status quo simply continuing on - except bigger and more powerful and more ambitious and more aggressive, inevitably leading to, because the dynamic of competing interests, complicated by divergent means and expectations, cannot be contained, conflict with India or the US or both. Tailor words and deeds accordingly.
[hows does the the apparent rejection by Chinese movie goers of much promoted [mandated] biopic of Confucius, which endorses submission to authority, in favour of Avatar, which glorifies rebellion in the service of individual rights, alter my thinking here? It doesn't - I only contend that there's no necessary connection between capitalism and the emergence of democracy and an open society - never mind a viable democracy - and my main point is that regardless of what the people want the vast, omnipresent bureaucracy that runs China will be the big loser should democracy emerge and therefore why on earth would they embrace it? They'll fight it tooth and nail - therefore, you either get social upheaval or propagation of the status quo held together by various controlling mechanisms, one of which may turn out to be citizens themselves who balk at the changes, some unpleasant and disquieting, that democracy forces on the individual]
