It is clear from the above analyses, China is far more interested in her economic relations with foreign countries than in military alliance. The U.S. is clearly doing just the opposite. The above data and analyses also discredit the ‘China Threat’ proponents’ argument based on the point of view on U.S. national security. The concept of maintaining military superiority for dominating inter-national or world affairs never worked and is obsolete. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the mighty U.S. military power not only did not succeed in settling thorny international or regional conflicts (such as in the Middle East), it only stimulated more arms race which had put a huge burden on the U.S. in military spending. With nuclear power already proliferated, any military conflict between two nuclear power may have a chance to ignite a nuclear war capable of destroying mankind. So obviously one must abandon the strategy of using military power to settle international issues; any military exercise involving nuclear bombers and  continental missiles launchers can create vulnerable risks.
 
IV. Education and Social Systems
 
As discussed in the demographic analysis, the 4:1 population ratio between China and the U.S. is probably the only significant variable in the comparison of their competitiveness. The most significant consequence of human resources or human power in peace time is productivity. We are not going to assess the human power in war time since we have already concluded that war is not a desirable option for resolving any international problem including the economic competition between the U.S. and China. Currently, the U.S. labor productivity is 12 times of China’s. However, China’s labor productivity has maintained a positive growth, except year 1990, as high as 13% per annum but generally and consistently above 6% for the past two decades, whereas the U.S. labor productivity suffered several times due to recessions (twice in the 1980’s and four times since 2007 to 2019 having negative growth rate) and rarely exceeding 3-4% per annum, more likely below 2%. So China’s higher (3-4 times of the U.S.) growth rate of productivity and 4X labor force (population) essentially mean that the total economic output of the U.S. and China is going to be comparable soon. Whether or not China can maintain her growth rate to eventually surpass the U.S. labor productivity depends very much on her education and social systems in comparison with that of the U.S.
 
Education system is critical in producing skilled productive work force and social system is important in managing migration and immigration of labor force geographically to match the needs of industry development and transformation. The U.S. education system has been recognized world-wide as being capable of producing high quality education from K-12 and even more so in higher education. However, this high quality of education, attractive to foreign students, does come with a high price tag. The American education system is far more expensive than elsewhere. ($20,000 - $60,000 per student year.) China, to a large extent, has been emulating some of the America education programs, particularly in higher education, but managing it with a lot less cost. So the real competition in national productivity is essentially in education reform - which country can turn out more right skilled and timely needed productive work force at a reasonable cost and in establishing appropriate social programs, including healthcare, immigration and retirement system, that can attract migrant and immigrant (from foreign talents) workers to join and sustain a competitive work force. The U.S. has been successful in attracting foreign talents but she will have to face competition with China.
 
V. Innovation and System Reform
 
Both the U.S. and China recognize that the real competitiveness of a nation lies in her ability in advancing technologies and producing innovation in all aspects of a country, especially important in her government system, industrial transformation and the above discussed education and social systems. Military system cannot be eliminated entirely, but it is no longer a strategic investment guaranteeing a ‘healthy return'. (Thucydides Trap theory might not hold for the two strongest competing nations simply because they would realize that neither side could survive a devastating war!) In terms of innovation, the U.S. has a fine track record in pioneering innovative systems such as social security system, immigration policies (green card, H visa, etc), local tax-payer funded public education system augmented with competitive private education institutions. However, the world has changed with rapidly advanced technologies, the human society has transformed into many new social norms challenging the existing systems. The present systems may or may not be a competitive one for the future. In fact, the late comers may have the advantage of taking on innovation without the old baggage or can adopt an old system with new technology support. (For example, some legacy issues existing in the current education, healthcare, retirement and the government system.) It is obvious that a nation must be first focusing on national issues, improving her current systems, and solving domestic problems before developing and realizing competitive strength for the nation.
 
Summarizing the above analyses, we can conclude that the competitive strength of a nation depends on how well the nation can solve her national and domestic problems (such as infrastructure), build effective systems (such as healthcare and education), then develop her citizens to take on productive career (such as job training for industry innovations thus raising competitive capability. The current COVID-19 pandemic disease provided a lesson for nation building. Such a valuable experience will support our conclusion. The pandemic is a stress test on every nation’s healthcare system, education system, commerce system and government system. It is clear that from the pain each country has suffered we can see that no one has a perfect system to respond to the COVID-19 attack. The sensible thing to do is to engage with each other and to cooperate fully in dealing with the problem.
 
The challenge brought by the pandemic can be compared with the challenge we face our global economy. We all have a common goal of maintaining a prosperous global economy. It only makes sense for us, of course, especially the two largest economies, the U.S. and China, to engage each other collaboratively to maintain a healthy world economy. Only under a healthy global economy, the U.S. and China can each have its healthy economy. Trade war makes no sense just like blaming each other for the pandemic to each other makes no sense. Therefore, we urge the U.S. and China to adopt an ‘engagement’ foreign policy, starting from dealing with COVID-19 and vaccine development to resolving trade imbalance instead of uttering rhetoric and rattling sabers.
 


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Abstract

This paper reviews the US-China relations and points out that the real motivation factor for Chin's rapid rise comes from the harsh and untrue criticism on the CCP regime. These negative forces enhance the Chinese people's positive motivations coming from their culture, Confucius philosophy and family tradition, and motivates them to develop China faster out of fear and insecurity. China is succeeding.

 
The Real Motivation Factor for China’s Rapid Rise
 
Sure, China was motivated to build her nation up, who wouldn’t after years of humiliation by foreign powers? However, nation building is not an easy task, it depends on a number of matching factors in terms of timing, resources and peaceful period. The ending of WW II gave China the opportunity but she was deprived the resources and most damagingly she was not given a peaceful time to rebuild. The Korean War cost her million lives including Mao Ze Dong’s own son and a few years of precious time to rebuild. In contrast, Taiwan, separated from reunion with China, along with Japan were benefited from being an ally with the U.S. in supplying goods to the U.S. troops in Korean War. Twenty years of Vietnam War (11/1/1955-4/30/1975), although it was between the U.S. and North Vietnam, it had similar effect of the Korean War on China. It was not until the U.S. changed her strategy in confronting the Soviet Union, China really got a peaceful period of time for nation building. In 1979, the U.S. recognized China and began a new Cold War with the Soviet Union. China seized the opportunity to develop herself. She quickly settled a border issue with Vietnam by strategically staged a brief war （2/17/1979-3/16/1979）with the consent of the U.S. to check Vietnam’s ambition and war Monger attitude causing border issue not only with China but also with Laos and Cambodia. Since then China had no wars with anyone thus giving her a decade of peace time (1979-1989) for nation building.
 
In the new Cold War period, the U.S. engaged China to contain the Soviet Union. China indeed had made significant progress in economic development during that decade through hard work. However, the hardworking at a peaceful time was the requisite condition for economic development but they are not the real motivation factor for her rapid rise. In 1990, the Soviet Union collapsed and the U.S. became the only superpower in the world. However, the U.S. China policy had also revealed its true face. China was a part of the U.S. tool kit to win the Cold War against the Soviet Union, but China was not treated in any way close like Japan and South Korea. The U.S. categorized China as an adversary, which hindsight could be seen from many things such as the U.S. opposition to letting China join the WTO and the Space Station program. China chose to be humble and tolerant hoping to be accepted by the Western Power Club.
 
The intensification of China’s Motivation Factor
 
The real motivation factor for China’s rapid development came gradually with increasing intensity since the second term of Clinton Administration (1997-2001). The U.S. China policy was ‘engagement within containment’. The Bush Administration (2001-2009) was too occupied with terrorism and Middle East Wars thus giving China another period of peaceful development. The China policy in the Obama-Mrs. Clinton era (2009-2017) had switched further away from engagement towards containment. This made obvious by the Pivot-To-Asia policy. Treating China as an Adversary became intensified. This process continued into the Trump administration with further hostility. It was the past two dozen years placing China under watchful eyes that had given China the real motivation factor to develop rapidly including military and technology development since they had finally recognized the true face of the U.S. The U.S. shall not accept any strong competitor threatening her superpower status. Placing China under the most watchful eyes and instigating all measures to stop China’s rise became the real motivation factor for China’s rapid development and rise, out of not just desire to acquire a better living standard but out of fear and insecurity that the U.S. will eventually staging another eight-nation alliance to crush China like the U.K. had done in 1900, only 120 years ago.
 
In the past two decades or so, the U.S. had waved the anti-communist flag targeting China no matter how much reform China is doing in socialism and in embracing capitalism. It has become clear to the world, not only the ‘Five Eyes’ are physically watching China, but an increasingly rigorous effort is mounting to build an anti-China alliance, for example, by recruiting Vietnam, India, Japan, etc. The U.S.-China relation has become the worst in a century with trade wars spreading to technology wars and military provocations. China was able to mobilize her citizens to work hard and strife for better life, but the U.S. China policy turning the screw tighter using all measures (using The Secretary of State, Pompeo’s words and thoughts) against the CCP government employing media force (fabricating narratives and lies), sanction measures (choking China’s industries) and military exercises with allies (agitating Hong Kong and Taiwan) as if the 1900 battle of Peking could be replayed. Can it be replayed?
 
Chinese People Can Be Motivated by Negative Force
 
Chinese people are unique people who are more tolerant and peace loving. Long immersed under Confucius philosophy, Chinese people are generally motivated by positive thoughts, like honor, praise and encouragement. China may have done a good job in creating a positive motivation for her people to strive for a better life out of the Chinese culture, Confucius theory and family traditions, but the negative force coming from the U.S. China policy is creating an exceptional drive and motivation for the Chinese, to die for their country if necessary; just like they had done against the atrocious attack from the Imperial Japan in 1937-1945 and the Korea War in 1950-1953. The harsher lies generated by the West media, for example, on Uighur genocide charge, fake news on concentration camp, etc. would turn Uighurs and Hans to fight vigorously together against the Western liers to clear their honor.
 
Communism is built on equality of people and fair share and usage of natural and human resources. The Western nations’ media (like CNN), blasting accusations and charges, like depriving Tibetans’ religious rights, suppressing Hong Kong’s freedom of protests and putting 2 million Uighurs under surveillance or concentration camps, etc. actually helped the CCP to do the right thing faster. Tibetans’ lives improved tremendously under CCP governance and there were more beautiful Tibetan temples now than ever before. The Hong Kong riots are completely stopped after China published her national security law. As for Uighurs, 37 countries in the UN Human Rights Council and the Council of Foreign Ministers of Organization of Islamic Cooperation passed resolution in support of China disputing the fake news charges (concentration camps, etc.). It is ironic that the U.S., the promoter of democracy, would deny many of the UN resolutions passed in democratic manner and would insist on repeating the fake news.
 
For U.S.-China relations observers, one must wonder why does the U.S.keep giving China the motivation factor to develop and rise up fast if that is not what she desires.

 
May 4th Revolution or ‘54 Movement’ is being celebrated in China for its 100th anniversary. There is no doubt that after China had toppled the corrupt and ultra conservative Qing Dynasty (Sun Yat Sen’s revolution in 1911), the first largest student uproar in Beijing on May 4th, 1919 marked the peak of Chinese ‘mind revolution’ protesting not just the unstable and weak government but also the Chinese system, its culture, language, literature and most critically its thinking process. Thus the ‘mind revolution’ is a very appropriate term to describe it. The WW I ended in 1919, a peace conference was convened in Paris, China as a victory nation hoped to get the Western powers to remove all the unequal treaties China was forced to sign under the weak Qing Dynasty (through 1842 to 1910), the Western powers flatly refused to do that instead awarded the Chinese territories occupied by Germany (defeated in WW I) to Japan (won the Sino-Japanese War (1894-5) and looted the Taiwan Island, receiving war reparation equivalent to six years of Japan’s annual budget). Thousands of students from more than ten colleges and schools protested at the Embassy District in Beijing and later burned the house of Tsao Ru Ling, the official who negotiated the unequal treaty with Japan. To the West and Japan, this student uproar did not meant much other than China eventually refused to sign the Paris peace treaty, but to the Chinese, it had cumulated the awakening process started prior to the Chinese Revolution (1911) to a new peak. Some intellects believed that Chinese had to begin a mind revolution to get rid of their ‘old baggage’ and embrace new thinking through education, language, science, democracy and even religion.
 
Today, China is a very different country. She has developed herself into the second if not the largest economy. She has lifted hundreds of millions of people above poverty having the highest number of citizens going abroad as tourists annually. Most Western countries including Russia and Japan, China’s neighbors, are bewildered and caught by surprise: how could China accomplish this in a few decades from the poorest nation in the world suffering from foreign invasion and brutal wars to the second strongest country in the world? Many scholars and historians are wrestling with the above question. This author was puzzled as well until restudied the events happened before and after the ’54 Movement’ carefully. I am happy to report that there is really little mystery; actually one can use a simple logic to explain why China was down so low before and is up now. No, it is not, “Stupid! It’s the Economy!”, the famous quote in politics. Rather, it is, “Stupid! It’s the Education!”. Education has transformed China and the May 4th “Mind Revolution” was the agent that changed China’s education system and availability making her successful today. In the following, I will present arguments to prove this point.
 
First, let’s rewind the time back to Qing Dynasty. The Manchurians who invaded and conquered China had decided to inherit the Chinese systems, the language, the culture, laws and governance. However, out of insecurity, the Qing Emperors did not want a sound education system; in fact, they somewhat deliberately discouraged Chinese citizens, largely peasants, to study or get educated. It was fine until the turn of 19th century when the world has gone through an industrial revolution (1764-1840). Later, Japan changed to learn and copy everything from the West (Meiji Reform 1868-1912), but Qing, once the largest economy in the world, still naively maintained its national education system producing few scholars conditioned by an outdated government exam system, keeping 90% or more of her citizens being illiterate. Back in seventeen century, Taiwan was captured by Dutch sailors who had big canons, a Ming General, Zheng Cheng Gong who was defeated by Qing and retreated to Xiamen across from the Taiwan Strait. He took the suggestion from Taiwan’s resistance force to fight the Dutch. He eventually won the fight not by his smaller gun boats but simply by cutting off food supplies to the Dutch. He then captured the big Dutch gun boats, but he soon died and his son lost the war to Qing. So Qing had captured all the Dutch gun boats. However, Qing Dynasty was not interested in how powerful the bigger gun boats could be and why they could be fired more accurately than Qing’s little boats. This story simply explained Qing’s stupidity.
 
We all knew that the West (Marco Polo 14th Century) had come to China and brought back knowledge and things to Europe, but Qing never was interested in getting her people to learn calculus and Newton’s theory (Issac Newton, 1643-1727) even later when Japan was rising up as an Imperial power through Meiji Reform. Qing had ignored the Industry Revolution entirely. Then Qing Dynasty was bullied with scores of unequal treaties from UK starting 1842, 1843, the U.S. and France, 1844, Sweden and Norway, 1847, Russia, 1858, Portugal, 1887, Japan, 1895, 1931, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungarian, Belgium, Spain and Netherlands, 1901 and extended to 1945 and beyond. Qing’s national illiteracy stood above 90%. When scholars such as Kang Yong Wei (1858-1927) and Liang Qi Chao (1873-1929) pushed for government reform, education reform was minimal. The first batch of Chinese foreign students was sent to the U.S. in 1872 and the program got cancelled. The 1911 ‘54 revolution’ generated a nationwide awareness of the necessity of reform. Some went to the extreme rejecting everything from ancient China; some would blame the culture, some would blame the language and some even blame the Chinese nature (in today’s terms, the genes). However, there were some still defending the old Chinese literature and theorems pointing out that ancient China had embraced science, technology and voting system. The key reform ought to be in education, not only changing the system but also letting people open their minds.
 
As we know that from 1919 to 1949 China was struggling to fend off invaders and colonial powers. The ending of WWII (1945) finally gave China a chance to establish a republic nation without foreign power stationed on her soil. The current division of China into Mainland and Taiwan, although resulted from an unfortunate internal squabble, in fact do land evidence to support my claim: The successful changes in both Mainland China and Taiwan are due to their education reform and Chinese culture valuing education. From 1949 onward, Taiwan government has emphasized education setting a goal to offer six years of compulsory education then extending to nine years. The government also focused on teacher university, land reform and industrialization policies, but it is the education system that propelled Taiwan to become a dragon in Asia economically. Likewise, starting from a very poor state, Mainland China also put emphasis on education. With its one child policy to get out of poverty, the single child received all the attention from not only the parents but also the grandparents in his or her upbringing. China produced 77.6 million college graduates in 2016 compared to 67.4 million in the U.S. Science, technology, engineer and mathematics (known as STEM) graduates have a strong correlation with a nation’s economic performance; 4.7 million STEM graduates were produced in China versus 2.6 m in India and 0.568 m in the U.S. Clearly, the China Rise is no accident but because of her successful education system along with good economic policies. Bringing a country with near 90% illiteracy to her current status of building one university a week to educate her citizens explains a lot about China’s success.
 
All the rhetoric we see or hear in the media about China threat, unfair competition and stealing jobs and technologies from the U.S. are all nonsense. I will repeat, “Stupid, it’s Education!” We must ask the following questions, why do we spend more dollars per student per year and get less graduation rate? Why our students shy away from STEMS while the Chinese students compete fiercely to get into STEMS? Recently, I was asked by a friend, how does one get a drone pilot license in the U.S. Honestly, I don’t know, it never has occurred to me to get a drone pilot license. My friend said he saw a peasant in China operating a drone to fertilize his farm. The farmer told him, there were at least 40,000 drone pilot licenses issued in China. I suspect, they are more used for productivity than pleasure. I used to think delivering baozi (a bun filled with meat or vegetable) by drone was a joke or propaganda, now I believe I could picture pizza or scallion pancake being delivered by drone in China!
 
On the 100th Anniversary of “54 Revolution”, I must say that the 3000 students who protested in Beijing 100 years ago are true Chinese heroes deserving to be honored! Today’s students should know how to tell the significance and impact of the 54 movement!.