Sorry Congress, You Can’t Treat China Like the Soviet Union

Last updated on November 25, 2023

Throughout the Cold War, the U.S. and USSR frequently approached complete conflict with each other. In the 50s, McCarthy demonized communists and uplifted democracy lovers, famously accusing 205 high-profile American politicians and officials of being complicit in the Soviets’ growing power and China’s descent into communism.

Yet throughout most of the 20th century, most Americans were largely unaware of China’s rising prominence on the global stage. With occasional events like President Nixon’s Ping Pong Diplomacy during the 1970s and the presence of Pandas in American zoos through Panda Diplomacy, U.S.-China diplomacy seemed largely limited. Gen Z wasn’t even born to see the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. While some may have heard about the Orwellian Social Credit system, real estate companies defaulting during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Uyghur genocide, or even Hong Kong human rights violations, those issues are quickly lost by a torrent of other urgent and threatening events. 

Few realize the true scale of American reliance on Chinese factories. Where once “Made in China” labels meant cheap counterfeits, in reality, China produces many strategic resources and manufactured goods, like semiconductors and consumer electronics. While the U.S. has previously limited China’s ability to produce more semiconductors, little registers in the average American’s mind. 

The fundamental issue with China is that most Americans are ignorant of China’s political ideology and potential impact on Western society. Where once people largely condemned communism as fundamentally evil (as seen with Reagan and the Soviet Union), most people wouldn’t know that Soviet and Chinese communism are different. Furthermore, the U.S. is much more interconnected with China than we were with the Soviets. We influence Chinese culture as much as it affects us, whether through TikTok or entertainment. 

Direct war with China would be unproductive for both sides. During the APEC Summit in San Francisco, Xi Jinping pushed for the U.S. to accept China, and “divide the world.” China’s shift from a regional power to an international behemoth is nothing to scoff at, and the U.S. is too divided to do anything about it. Perhaps the best thing we can do is learn Mandarin.