Prepared by: Cheyene Castillo, Alyanna Angelina Cabral, Cyria Ellaine Gonzales

US-China Relations: Managing Differences Remains an Urgent Challenge

I. US-China relations have been a series of cooperation and conflicts and differences between these
major powers are inevitable.
A. Due to these differences, leaders in both countries try to avoid strains in the bilateral
relationships by focusing on local issues.
B. Moreover, both leaders strive to reintegrate their economies—US for its deterioration, and
China as a rising one.
C. Nevertheless, they are still faced by major conflicts that may lead to tensions that can break
the relationship.

II. Firstly, US-China relationship can get worse or break it, even, due to tensions on political and
economic issues, particularly on their other alliances and bilateral relationships in other countries.
A. Differences in the Korean conflict have been one of the issues that are still faced by US and
China.
a. Neither the failure to achieve denuclearization nor the failure to reach an
agreement on how to achieve it proved to be one of the reasons as to why there still
exists a tension in both North and South and the major powers.
b. Differences in approach and sanctions to different issues may also lead to tensions
in both US-China relations and the relations on both countries on war (North and
South Korea).
c. However, it could just go as far as sour and taint the relationship but will not derail
it.
B. The use of technology of China for spying and detecting potential economic effort,
especially for its own, baldy taints the relationship of US-China
a. It even triggered for the calling for sanctions of the senate to China and China could
possibly call sanctions to US as well.
b. If both countries would impose tit-for-tat sanctions against each other, it could
escalate the tensions between these two.
c. One example is America’s selling of advanced weaponry to Taiwan (there still exists
conflict on sovereignty between China and Taiwan) could make China sanction
American companies in the region that could further worsen the
C. US surveillance is also one of the issues that pose imminent danger to the relationship of US
and China.
a. A manifestation of this is the incident in China’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
b. A Chinese pilot intercepted a US surveillance plane which leads to his death and the
emergency landing of the said surveillance plane In the Hainan Island.
 c. Moreover, Chinese vessels harass US surveillance ships and the newly established
Air Force Identification Zone makes the tension grow bigger.

III. The conflicts over Korea, Cyber espionage, US surveillance and Taiwan is like a time bomb
waiting to be unlocked and it will be through triggering events that might lead the US-China
relationship to Us-China hostility.
A. Alliance is one great factor that can cause to trigger the US-China conflicts.
a. The US-Japanese alliance can be one a hindrance to the growing friendship of US-
China.
b. The heightened conflict over the years of China and Japan can cause conflict
because Japan has an ongoing MDT (Mutual Defense Treaty) with US.
B. Disputes over territory and sovereignty are also seen as a factor for the deterioration of the
US-China relationship.
a. The long overdue conflict of China and Taiwan can be tainted if the US continues to
supply Taiwan the necessary armaments for its conflict.
b. Moreover, this may be triggered if China pushes for a blockade in Taiwan.
C. The collapse of the North Korean government might be one of the triggering events in the
US-China bilateral relationship.
a. If the US might go and secure the arms in North Korea for mass destruction, North
Korea might invoke its mutual defense treaty with China that will make China
defend the North Koreans against US.

IV. There is also a risk of Cold war-type strategic competition in US and China, as we foresee that
China will rise as a super power, even rising to a level of a hegemon.
A. China is developing its economy through expanding and it needs funding for more
advanced military forces, therefore, it is justifiable that China seeks to expand its
military forces.
B. China’s aggression in the conflicted territories might lead to conflicts with other US-
backed countries.
C. If this happens, and the relationship worsens, Asia Pacific cooperation of US-China
would be impossible.

V. This relationship could be both detrimental and beneficial to the Asia Pacific region as to both
major powers are focusing on the region as it is a rising region when it terms to economic,
political and social sphere.
A. In Singapore, both have a bilateral relationship with the government.
a. Hostility between these major powers might affect adversely the policies
tailored for the next years of the Singaporean state.
b. This can change Singapore’s focal point, since Singapore seeks to divert now to
strengthen its state through giving more accessible basic social services.
c. This can also affect Singapore’s declining economy negatively since the country
has bilateral economic agreements between the countries.
d. Moreover, a conflict, especially an armed one, might require a more capable
military for the countries. Singapore might be left out because of its mediocre
military training and spending.
e. This might affect security among the people and the countries surrounding it.
f. Also, US vessels were allowed to set foot in the island, China might see
Singapore as a future strategy against the Americans.