Introductory Discussion

Abstract

The US-Chinese relationship is often referred to as the most important bilateral relationship for the near future. Whilst somewhat simplistic in reference and resting on materialistic assumptions, it is nonetheless an undeniable fact that with the US as the lone superpower, and the PRC as the most likely challenger to US hegemony in the world, this is a relationship that is gaining in prominence and influence. Consequently, the US-China relationship is one of the fastest growing and most popular topics of debate in both popular and academic circles. This book was borne out of an interest in the growth and development of China over the past two decades and a long-standing interest in US foreign policy. The nature of the enquiry has changed as time has passed. Initially the focus was on the ‘rise of China’ on the international scene and what this would mean for its relationship with the US, given US pre-eminence. However, the more I read, the more I became interested in the intricacies of the relationship itself, particularly in the pivotal period following the end of the Cold War when the overall relationship was plunged into crisis on three separate occasions, over what appeared to be three totally different incidents, two of which appeared accidental in nature. This dynamic, and the inherent complexity of the relationship itself, raised a number of issues that were either glazed over, or ignored in the majority of literature surrounding the topic, leaving a number of unanswered questions both theoretically and empirically.