History of U.S.-China Relations

Jaewoo-Choo-Kyung-Hee-University-South-Korea

History of U.S.-China Relations: Short articles by Professor Jaewoo Choo, International Politics, Kyung Hee University, Korea

The United States and China: Competition for superiority in space to protect resources and weapon systems

By Jaewoo Choo . May 19, 2021

The strategic competition between the U.S. and China is fierce even in space outside of the earth. What do the two countries compete for in space? What are their objectives and what strategic calculations did they start from? Will the space race between the two countries lead to competition over space hegemony? This is one of the most interesting issues for U.S.-China observers in recent days.

Read More

The United States fascinated by Chinese tea and ‘bone china’

By Jaewoo Choo . May 19, 2021

The independence of the United States in 1776 meant the independence of the American economy. The United States, liberated from British colonial rule, was freed from the British trade system. The US became able to trade independently. During the early years of trade with China (1784-1831), the United States was most attracted to four products: tea, silk, porcelain, and nankeen.

Read More

Abundant Silver Coins in the United States and Chinese economy

By Jaewoo Choo . May 19, 2021

Cash was a valid means of ingratiating the Chinese people even in the early 18th century. Unlike Western merchants, American merchants were good at paying in cash, which made them attractive to Chinese people. Silver coins were the key currency of trade at that time. The areas that mainly produced silver coins were Spanish American regions. This was the reason why the export of silver coins were the mainstay of U.S. trade with China.

Read More

The United States’ differentiated strategies on the last train to China

By Jaewoo Choo . May 19, 2021

The U.S. entry into China was significantly later than any other Western country. The West had already started trading with China since the 16th century. Therefore, the U.S. had to differentiate its strategy to dominate the Chinese market. Moreover, the ideology to protect its strengths and principles as a new independent country was to become dominant.

Read More

Faster towards China…The motives for the westward expansion and the U.S. transcontinental railroad

By Jaewoo Choo . May 19, 2021

The Chinese market triggered the westward expansion of the United States. It was as influential as the discovery of gold mines in California and silver mines in Nevada. In the early 19th century, China was a huge market with a population of 400 million that produced 30% of the world’s economic output.

Read More

The Americans who made money from opium and where the profits went

By Jaewoo Choo . May 19, 2021

In the capitalist world, there’s a saying, “other’s misfortune is my happiness.” When China focused on preventing Britain from smuggling opium, the US used this weak point as an opportunity. The accumulation of considerable wealth enabled the industrialization and the development of social overhead capital in the United States.

Read More

The United States’ ambitions for hegemony and its implications

By Jaewoo Choo . May 19, 2021

The U.S. strategy for global hegemony starts with geoeconomic realism. The claim of geopolitical realism is the biggest misconception and error. Geoeconomic realism means continental realism. In other words, it is a theory that explains the process of a continent-based country balancing its power by competing with neighboring countries for power.

Read More

The Unites States’ sympathy for China

By Jaewoo Choo . May 19, 2021

The United States is a Christian country founded by Puritans who moved to the New World. The story of China told by U.S. merchants after trade with China ignited their passion for missionary works. Contrary to its long history, great civilization and reputation as the world’s largest economic power, China was known as a sick country.

Read More

The “China Dreams” of the United States

By Jaewoo Choo . May 19, 2021

The official exchange between the U.S. and China began in February 1784 with the first U.S. merchant ship to China, the “Empress of China.” Before the independence of the United States, exchanges were made either under the control of the United Kingdom or subcontracted to other world powers.

Read More

Jaewoo Choo is Professor of Chinese foreign policy in the Department of Chinese Studies at Kyung Hee University, and Vice President of One Belt One Road Institute in Korea.

He is a graduate of Wesleyan University (BA in Government) and Peking University (MA & PhD in International Relations). His research interests are Chinese foreign policy, multilateral security cooperation, US-China relations, and China-North Korea relations. Recent publications include US-China relations for Koreans: From Korean War to THAAD Conflicts (Seoul: Kyung-In Publishing House, 2017), and US and China’s Strategy on the Korean Peninsula: Reading from the Facts (Seoul: Paper & Tree, 2018).