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Sino-American relations have generally been volatile especially after the fall of the Soviet Union, which removed a common enemy and ushered in a world characterized by American dominance. Many in the United States remain suspicious of Communist China and believe that its goal is to establish hegemony in East Asia and threaten U.S. interests. There are also grievances which relate to human rights in China and the PRC's claims over Taiwan. For its part, there are suspicions in China that the United States wishes to keep China weak and divided, that the U.S. criticisms over human rights are unwarranted in light of the economic advancement that has occurred in mainland China, and that the United States' support for Republic of China (ROC) government on Taiwan, particularly with regard to weapons sales, is an unwarranted attempt to keep the PRC weak.
While there are many irritants in Sino-American relations, there are also many stabilizing factors. The People's Republic of China and the United States are major trade partners and have common interests in the prevention and suppression of terrorism and in preventing nuclear proliferation. While the end of the Cold War removed a common enemy, the War on Terror has produced a new common enemy, which has greatly stabilized relations.
In addition, while there is still a great deal of Chinese mistrust at American intentions, there is also the grudging realization that the United States will likely remain an unipolar global power for much of the early 21st century, and a direct challenge to the United States is likely beyond China's capability for several decades. There is also a realization that most of China's challenges and difficulties are internal, and therefore there is a desire on the part of China to maintain stable relations with the United States.
Much of the complexity of Sino-American relations comes from the images that the two have of themselves and of the other.
The Chinese see their national goal as a rich, powerful, and united China, with centuries of humilation erased and some of its ancient glory restored. Americans see their national goal as bringing freedom and democracyA democracy is a form of government under which the power to alter the laws and structures of government lies with the voting citizenry (referred to as "the people", because in modern times it usually consists of all people over 18 years of age), and all to the world, and many within the United States see their country as the natural leader of the free worldThe Free World is a Cold War-era term used by non-communist nations to describe themselves. The term was used to contrast the supposed greater freedom enjoyed by citizens of non-communist countries that called themselves democratic, such as the United Sta.
Within mainland China, there is a love-hate relationship with the United States. On the one hand, American products and cultureThis article very generally discusses the customs and culture of the United States for the "culture" of the United States, see arts and entertainment in the United States. As the United States is an immense country, with many residents and citizens being are seen as stylish and superior to local products. This accounts for the huge number of international students from China in the United States. At the same time, there is popular resentment of American meddling with other nations' affairs, which is mixed with a genuine fear of American power. The Chinese are often perplexed at the stated motives of American foreign policy and tend to conclude that these goals, (such as promoting freedomFreedom is a remarkably imprecise word that can refer to: Political freedom is the absence of political restraints, particularly with respect to speech, religious practice, and the press. not being in prison, not (in particular, no longer) the victim of f and democracyA democracy is a form of government under which the power to alter the laws and structures of government lies with the voting citizenry (referred to as "the people", because in modern times it usually consists of all people over 18 years of age), and all) are an insincere cover for darker motives, namely to keep China weak and divided. The Chinese are also often perplexed at how others could interpret Chinese foreign and domestic policies as threatening.
Americans tend to see China as a far off and distant land. Since the 19th century, there has been a missionaryA missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. The English word "missionary" is derived from Latin, the equivalent of the Greek-derived word, impulse in American dealings with China, and the United States often believes that as part of its mission to advance freedom and democracy, it has the duty to advance the cause of human rights in China. Over the past 150 years, Americans have also tended to see the Chinese people as oppressed and abused by either the JapanJapan (, Nippon/Nihon literally "the origin of the sun") is a country in East Asia situated on a chain of islands east of the Asian continent on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. The largest of these islands are, from north to south, Hokkaido , Honshese in World War II and more recently by their own Communist government. Americans are often perplexed by the notion that many Chinese support the PRC government despite its authoritarian nature and are dismissive at the idea that the PRC government might do anything good. In addition, Americans also tend to be confused by the notion that people may find American criticism of human rights to be insincere and meddlesome.
Many in the United States, such as adherents of Neoconservatism and the blue team, view the possibility that China may eventually challenge American global dominance as an alarming outcome. Echoes of this suspicion have presented itself in suspicion of trade with China.