Dr. Wordman, Bilingual Columnist, US-ChinaForum.org
It took less than 250 years for the United States to become a great independent country from a colony. Its war of independence was short and smooth owing to good luck, the right timing, and being far from a power struggle, In the early years, most of the immigrants to North America were the Anglo-Saxons, and a small number of immigrants from the European continent. The native Indians of North America were driven westward by new settlers and killed. The eighteenth century coincided with the struggle for hegemony and mutual destruction among European powers and the rise of the ideology of democracy and liberalism. The immigrants in North America were dissatisfied with the high taxes imposed by their mother country Great Britain. They took advantage of the competition among Britain, France, Spain, and other countries for hegemony and colonial interests, and launched a revolution for independence. After the founding of the country, they continued to expand and expand. The native Indians were exterminated and reduced to vassal groups, and a federal state (the U.S.) was established, which expanded from thirteen states in 1776 to fifty states today.
There were two world wars in the twentieth century. The U.S. almost completely stayed out of the First World War (7/28/1914-11/11/1918) until near the end of the last year. It can be said that it won without any damage. During the Second World War (1939-1945), the U.S. made war profits from an advantageous position, far away from the Eurasian theaters. It did not join the war until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor (12/7/1941). The battlefield was far away from the American mainland, so after the war, the U.S. became the world's strongest economy capable of assisting the ruined world to recover and become the world's most powerful country. After WW II, Russia was also a victorious country and it promoted communism and created the Soviet Union to absorb Northeastern European states and post-war East Germany. The U.S. occupied West Germany, Japan, and the Philippines, thus forming two major confrontational blocs, the East and the West.
In the East-West confrontation, the U.S. established a world grand strategy of anti-communism alliance to fight against the communist countries led by the Soviet Union. The U.S. cleverly took advantage of China's need to revitalize its economy, opened to China, and launched an all-out effort to isolate and suppress the Soviet economic system, which eventually led to its collapse in 1991 and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. As a result, the U.S. became the single largest hegemon in the world. However, the basic global strategy of the U.S. since WW II has always been to maintain its hegemony, not allowing other countries to surpass the U.S. in competition. This can be seen clearly when the U.S. launched suppression against the European Union and Japan when their economic growth approached that of the U.S. economy. Therefore, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and as China grew rapidly in economic strength, the U.S. began to pay attention to China's rise and targeted China into the ranks of hostile communist countries. However, due to the Muslim-Islamic terrorist group's attack on the U.S. homeland (9/11/2001) incident, the U.S. had to focus on the 'war on terrorism' which led to the Iraq War and Middle East entanglement, thereby delaying its anti-China action.
The strategy of the U.S. to counter Russia and China began after WW II. In Europe, it established NATO to contain Russia, and in Asia, it united with its allies (Japan, South Korea, Philippines, etc.) to contain China. The U.S.'s anti-China policy over the years can be described as 'Three Axes'. In the following, the author will explain these three axes, analyze their effectiveness, and make predictions.
The First Axe: Island Chain Containment
After the victory in WW II, the U.S. occupied Japan and cultivated a government system for the defeated nation, and then got involved in the Korean War, which threatened China's security and fear, and eventually, the Sino-US Korean War ended with the division of North and South Korea in a truce but no peace treaty. The U.S. maintained the strategy of allying with Japan and South Korea to fight against the Soviet Union and communist countries, including China. The U.S. joined forces with European nations to organize the NATO alliance to contain the Soviet Union, but in Asia, the U.S. planned to form an island chain from South Korea, Japan, Ryukyu, Taiwan, the Philippines to Singapore to contain China. In this island chain strategy, there is uncertainty about Taiwan's reunification with Mainland China. Therefore, the U.S. has always been unwilling to give up influence in Taiwan and deliberately blur Taiwan's status to suit its island chain strategy. However, China's policy of keeping a low profile induced the U.S. to focus its attention on the Middle East, giving China time to develop and eventually rise to become the world's second-largest economy and the world's largest manufacturer and trader. At the same time, to resist the U.S.’s island chain containment, China has rapidly developed its navy and rocket force to resist island chain threats. Nowadays, the U.S.’s island chain deterrent force must retreat to the second island chain, namely the Guam and Hawaii defense lines. Judging from the current strength and progress of China's navy and air force, the U.S.'s first island chain containment strategy can be said to have hit a steel wall (Ban's door, an Ax master's door), producing no effect at all.
The Second Ax: Democracy, Freedom, and Human Rights
When the U.S. became independent, it was at the time of the enlightenment of democratic liberalism, and its forefathers indeed wrote democratic freedoms into the Constitution. But since the U.S. became a powerful nation, it has implemented a two-sided policy, that is, it says one thing on the surface, but does another. The former is glossy and propagated through its controlled media. The latter is all based on self-centered interests, often unjust to others. Profit always comes first. Therefore, democracy, freedom, and human rights have become tools of American political diplomacy. In terms of safeguarding the interests of ethnic minorities, the U.S. has no justice for its domestic Indians. It uses the banner of democracy, freedom, and human rights to subvert political power and incite revolution. Its purpose is to remove the regime that is inconsistent with the U.S. interest, rather than for the welfare of the people. Therefore, the regimes supported by the United States are all pro-American. The U.S. has used the banner of democracy, freedom, and human rights to instigate China's Tibet and Xinjiang for many years. However, under the Chinese government's efforts to get rid of poverty and create opportunities for citizens to have a better life, people's livelihood in Tibet and Xinjiang has improved far better than elsewhere in the Muslim world or India. This has been gradually known to all the world. Hence, the second ax of the U.S. has also hit the “Ban’s door”, and there is nothing that can be done.
The Third Ax: New Eight-Power Allied Forces
The U.S. participated in the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China and gained benefits. In both world wars, the U.S. had always joined the winning side alliance. Since WW II, the U.S. has also formed military alliances with many countries to maintain its hegemonic leadership position and used the alliance for proxy wars. It used the NATO alliance to encourage Ukraine to join NATO to resist Russia, which led to the current Russia-Ukraine war. In Asia, the U.S. wants to create a New Eight-Nation Alliance (the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and India) to suppress China. It not only threatens China with military force, but also wants to ally to impose sanctions on China in terms of economy (trade and investment), science, and technology. The most obvious effort is in the semiconductor industry where chip manufacturing technology is prohibited from exporting to China. Through subsidies, the U.S. intends to consolidate high-level chip manufacturing in the U.S. However, China's economy has grown in size and its technological foundation has become strong (A recent survey shows that China leads in 7 out of 10 advanced technologies, the U.S. leads only in three with China being next behind.). Many countries are dependent on the Chinese market and their mutual trade. Therefore, this third ax, coercing alliance to disengage with China is also like showing off tricks in front of a skilled master, exhibiting nothing but awkwardness.
Based on the above analysis, China should be able to cope with the current tension between the U.S. and China no matter how treacherous the future would be. However, the Chinese people have never been wary, and they would always rather avoid a war than initiate one. On the other hand, the Americans are accustomed to winning, if not winnable then join the opposing party. Therefore, the U.S. and China competition may not lead to a disastrous ending. The current situation will test China's diplomatic skills. China has many neighboring countries. South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines have all aligned with the U.S. India is presently increasing its troops on the Tibetan border. Although the Chinese People's Liberation Army is competent and not afraid of the threats, but Sun Tzu's Art of War says that war should be the last option. Today, we need to strategize, devote ourselves to diplomacy, and turn conflicts into friendship. Sun Tzu said, the best is to win with strategy, the second best is to win through diplomacy, and the last is to win by military force. The Chinese citizens should cheer their leaders, like Xi Jinping and Wang Yi, to charter a peaceful path.
It took less than 250 years for the United States to become a great independent country from a colony. Its war of independence was short and smooth owing to good luck, the right timing, and being far from a power struggle, In the early years, most of the immigrants to North America were the Anglo-Saxons, and a small number of immigrants from the European continent. The native Indians of North America were driven westward by new settlers and killed. The eighteenth century coincided with the struggle for hegemony and mutual destruction among European powers and the rise of the ideology of democracy and liberalism. The immigrants in North America were dissatisfied with the high taxes imposed by their mother country Great Britain. They took advantage of the competition among Britain, France, Spain, and other countries for hegemony and colonial interests, and launched a revolution for independence. After the founding of the country, they continued to expand and expand. The native Indians were exterminated and reduced to vassal groups, and a federal state (the U.S.) was established, which expanded from thirteen states in 1776 to fifty states today.
There were two world wars in the twentieth century. The U.S. almost completely stayed out of the First World War (7/28/1914-11/11/1918) until near the end of the last year. It can be said that it won without any damage. During the Second World War (1939-1945), the U.S. made war profits from an advantageous position, far away from the Eurasian theaters. It did not join the war until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor (12/7/1941). The battlefield was far away from the American mainland, so after the war, the U.S. became the world's strongest economy capable of assisting the ruined world to recover and become the world's most powerful country. After WW II, Russia was also a victorious country and it promoted communism and created the Soviet Union to absorb Northeastern European states and post-war East Germany. The U.S. occupied West Germany, Japan, and the Philippines, thus forming two major confrontational blocs, the East and the West.
In the East-West confrontation, the U.S. established a world grand strategy of anti-communism alliance to fight against the communist countries led by the Soviet Union. The U.S. cleverly took advantage of China's need to revitalize its economy, opened to China, and launched an all-out effort to isolate and suppress the Soviet economic system, which eventually led to its collapse in 1991 and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. As a result, the U.S. became the single largest hegemon in the world. However, the basic global strategy of the U.S. since WW II has always been to maintain its hegemony, not allowing other countries to surpass the U.S. in competition. This can be seen clearly when the U.S. launched suppression against the European Union and Japan when their economic growth approached that of the U.S. economy. Therefore, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and as China grew rapidly in economic strength, the U.S. began to pay attention to China's rise and targeted China into the ranks of hostile communist countries. However, due to the Muslim-Islamic terrorist group's attack on the U.S. homeland (9/11/2001) incident, the U.S. had to focus on the 'war on terrorism' which led to the Iraq War and Middle East entanglement, thereby delaying its anti-China action.
The strategy of the U.S. to counter Russia and China began after WW II. In Europe, it established NATO to contain Russia, and in Asia, it united with its allies (Japan, South Korea, Philippines, etc.) to contain China. The U.S.'s anti-China policy over the years can be described as 'Three Axes'. In the following, the author will explain these three axes, analyze their effectiveness, and make predictions.
The First Axe: Island Chain Containment
After the victory in WW II, the U.S. occupied Japan and cultivated a government system for the defeated nation, and then got involved in the Korean War, which threatened China's security and fear, and eventually, the Sino-US Korean War ended with the division of North and South Korea in a truce but no peace treaty. The U.S. maintained the strategy of allying with Japan and South Korea to fight against the Soviet Union and communist countries, including China. The U.S. joined forces with European nations to organize the NATO alliance to contain the Soviet Union, but in Asia, the U.S. planned to form an island chain from South Korea, Japan, Ryukyu, Taiwan, the Philippines to Singapore to contain China. In this island chain strategy, there is uncertainty about Taiwan's reunification with Mainland China. Therefore, the U.S. has always been unwilling to give up influence in Taiwan and deliberately blur Taiwan's status to suit its island chain strategy. However, China's policy of keeping a low profile induced the U.S. to focus its attention on the Middle East, giving China time to develop and eventually rise to become the world's second-largest economy and the world's largest manufacturer and trader. At the same time, to resist the U.S.’s island chain containment, China has rapidly developed its navy and rocket force to resist island chain threats. Nowadays, the U.S.’s island chain deterrent force must retreat to the second island chain, namely the Guam and Hawaii defense lines. Judging from the current strength and progress of China's navy and air force, the U.S.'s first island chain containment strategy can be said to have hit a steel wall (Ban's door, an Ax master's door), producing no effect at all.
The Second Ax: Democracy, Freedom, and Human Rights
When the U.S. became independent, it was at the time of the enlightenment of democratic liberalism, and its forefathers indeed wrote democratic freedoms into the Constitution. But since the U.S. became a powerful nation, it has implemented a two-sided policy, that is, it says one thing on the surface, but does another. The former is glossy and propagated through its controlled media. The latter is all based on self-centered interests, often unjust to others. Profit always comes first. Therefore, democracy, freedom, and human rights have become tools of American political diplomacy. In terms of safeguarding the interests of ethnic minorities, the U.S. has no justice for its domestic Indians. It uses the banner of democracy, freedom, and human rights to subvert political power and incite revolution. Its purpose is to remove the regime that is inconsistent with the U.S. interest, rather than for the welfare of the people. Therefore, the regimes supported by the United States are all pro-American. The U.S. has used the banner of democracy, freedom, and human rights to instigate China's Tibet and Xinjiang for many years. However, under the Chinese government's efforts to get rid of poverty and create opportunities for citizens to have a better life, people's livelihood in Tibet and Xinjiang has improved far better than elsewhere in the Muslim world or India. This has been gradually known to all the world. Hence, the second ax of the U.S. has also hit the “Ban’s door”, and there is nothing that can be done.
The Third Ax: New Eight-Power Allied Forces
The U.S. participated in the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China and gained benefits. In both world wars, the U.S. had always joined the winning side alliance. Since WW II, the U.S. has also formed military alliances with many countries to maintain its hegemonic leadership position and used the alliance for proxy wars. It used the NATO alliance to encourage Ukraine to join NATO to resist Russia, which led to the current Russia-Ukraine war. In Asia, the U.S. wants to create a New Eight-Nation Alliance (the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and India) to suppress China. It not only threatens China with military force, but also wants to ally to impose sanctions on China in terms of economy (trade and investment), science, and technology. The most obvious effort is in the semiconductor industry where chip manufacturing technology is prohibited from exporting to China. Through subsidies, the U.S. intends to consolidate high-level chip manufacturing in the U.S. However, China's economy has grown in size and its technological foundation has become strong (A recent survey shows that China leads in 7 out of 10 advanced technologies, the U.S. leads only in three with China being next behind.). Many countries are dependent on the Chinese market and their mutual trade. Therefore, this third ax, coercing alliance to disengage with China is also like showing off tricks in front of a skilled master, exhibiting nothing but awkwardness.
Based on the above analysis, China should be able to cope with the current tension between the U.S. and China no matter how treacherous the future would be. However, the Chinese people have never been wary, and they would always rather avoid a war than initiate one. On the other hand, the Americans are accustomed to winning, if not winnable then join the opposing party. Therefore, the U.S. and China competition may not lead to a disastrous ending. The current situation will test China's diplomatic skills. China has many neighboring countries. South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines have all aligned with the U.S. India is presently increasing its troops on the Tibetan border. Although the Chinese People's Liberation Army is competent and not afraid of the threats, but Sun Tzu's Art of War says that war should be the last option. Today, we need to strategize, devote ourselves to diplomacy, and turn conflicts into friendship. Sun Tzu said, the best is to win with strategy, the second best is to win through diplomacy, and the last is to win by military force. The Chinese citizens should cheer their leaders, like Xi Jinping and Wang Yi, to charter a peaceful path.
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