US/China trade Class #2

[Cheryl Watson]

Recent reports show that US consumers spent billions of dollars on imported products from China. Although certain politicians use this to justify sanctions against Chinese imports, it is a good sign that American consumers feel confident enough about our economy, as well as their personal disposable income, in order to spend money on foreign made goods and services.

Chinese trade sanctions have driven China away from US markets to those of Southeast Asia.

[Cheryl Watson]

Someone once said, "Change is constant". It applies to nature, relationships, and humans. China, as a culture, has been hidden from most of the west for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, observed from the occassional movie such as, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Avatar", "Crazy Rich Asians", and Amy Tan's "Joy Luck CLub", and the myriad of martial arts movies based on iconic figures such as "Bruce Lee".

However, these iconic figures played into more stereotypical western views of Chinese people and their culture.  Within the last twenty to thirty years, due to social media, increased international travel for work and school, as well as a burgeoning Asian student population, western countries have been introduced to a pluralistic view of the Chinese population.  China has, perhaps against the wishes of its own government, became more "open".

Russia had its glasnost and perrestroika under Gorbachev which signaled a type of political and economic reform. From these two policies, economic reform has had the greatest impact on the Russian people. China appears to follow a similar trajectory. Russia's parliament appeared to tighten controls on political plurality just as China has.

Neither country wanted an "Arab Spring" at their doorstep and seeks to control the social and political narrative.

In this sense, China has actively waged a "culture competition" with the United States as it main competitor .

 

China appears to focus on continents and regions where the United States has not changed it approach or policy. Thus, neglecting to adapt has left a void for countries like China to come in and develop economic policy and influence politics, with varying degrees of success.

 

 

Open in the sense that censorship can not stop a population from sending and receiving outside news

[Cheryl Watson]

Chinese youth have the benefit of social media to express their views anonymously.  Social media is a threat to the Chinese Commuist party as it is used to galvanize and expresss social and political views from all types of youth.

More students attend university now than ever before in Chinese history. More foreign nationals teach in elementary, middle, high schools, and universities than ever before (with varying degrees of success).

As such, China's population has been exposed to competing influences: pramactic, materialistic, and nationalistic.

Now Chinese youth view western media as a means by which western countries promote their own agenda.

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