Twists & turns in Sino-US relations

Li: You have mentioned writers. Do you think they reflected what was going on between the two peoples during the 19th century?

Zhao: Literature is an important channel through which the Chinese people understand the world. Numerous American literary works have been translated into Chinese, which helps us understand what is going on across the Pacific. Through Mark Twain, Jack London, William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway, the Chinese discovered the American people to be optimistic, tough and practical. This might explain why "American" in Chinese is mei(beautiful), li(profitable) and jian (solid).

Many Chinese emigrated to the United States to find work in the past. In the cold winters of the 1840s, when other construction teams had retreated from the Rocky Mountains, the Chinese workers forged ahead, bringing the railway to the wild and vast western frontier. Altogether, 310,000 Chinese workers died building America's railways.

In recognition of their contribution, the state government of Illinois erected a monument in Shanghai in 1991 with 3,000 rail spikes. On the monument was inscribed the following message: Chinese railway builders were instrumental in connecting the western and eastern coastlines of the United States and the ultimate unification of the country.

Li: In 1900, the United States, along with Britain, Germany, France, Tsarist Russia, Japan, Italy and Austria, who had joined together to create the Eight-Power Allied Forces, invaded Beijing, ransacked the grand Old Summer Palace and forced China to sign a series of humiliating treaties, a few of which were with the United States. How did the Chinese see the United States after that?

Zhao: That was towards the end of the Qing Dynasty. The humiliating treaties forced many Chinese to look for ways to salvage China. People like Dr Sun Yat-sen, the pioneer of the Democratic Revolution, which began the modern era in China, reiterated on many occasions that it would be a good idea to follow the example of the United States. His famed Three People's Principles -- nationalism, democracy and the people's livelihood, were to a large extent based upon Lincoln's ideal of a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Mao Zedong, one of the founders of the Chinese Communist Party, was also deeply impressed by the deeds of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. After reading their stories in the Biographies of the World's Greatest People as a young man, he was convinced that "China also needs such figures."

Ever since they came to know of George Washington, the Chinese people have always highly respected him as the forefather of the United States, regardless of the vicissitudes in the Sino-American relationship. Another American with a similar status in China is Abraham Lincoln.

Li: During the Second World War, China and the United States were allies. Why did animosities build up after the war?

Zhao: During World War II, China was a major battle ground where the majority of the Japanese army was engaged in a hard-fought war with the Chinese people. Their unremitting efforts and unyielding spirit won generous support from the US government and the American people led by President Franklin Roosevelt.

When the Japanese army cut the supply lines between China and Myanmar in 1943, the US Air Force opened a new route called the "Hump" over the Himalayas, which greatly assisted the supply of arms for China's war effort against Japan.

Many planes were lost due to the harsh weather conditions in the mountains. As many as 1,500 American pilots sacrificed their lives for China's Anti-Japanese War. The loss of US C-46 planes totalled 500.

Only a few years ago, we were still finding the remains of American planes lost in World War II in Guangxi Province and Tibet Autonomous Region. Fighting shoulder to shoulder in the anti-fascist war, the Chinese and American people forged a strong and close friendship, which is still cherished fondly. In Nanjing, the cemeteries of American pilots are still well preserved to this day.

The Chinese goodwill and gratitude towards the United States was symbolized by the word jeep, which found its way into English and Chinese dictionaries towards the end of the World War II.

However, the popularity of jeeps proved to be only fleeting, for they were soon seen galavanting around China's towns packed full of American soldiers and the Chinese girls they had picked up.

The feelings of amity the Chinese people had felt towards the United States soon turned to animosity when an American soldier raped a student from Beijing University in a square in central Beijing on Christmas Eve, 1946.

Li: The rape actually went unpunished. Were there other major causes for the increasing unpopularity of the United States in China?

Zhao: Yes. The United States openly supported the corrupt regime of Chiang Kai-shek before and during China's civil war, supplying him with arms to kill Chinese people.

In 1950, China and the United States went to war on the Korean Peninsula.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. The United States will be holding a series of commemorative activities over the next three years.

Many Americans believe they fought for freedom. The Chinese believed however, that they were fighting to protect the motherland, which was under the threat of US aggression, because American bombs were being dropped on Chinese soil.

Then there was the Vietnam War, fought on China's border.

Such prolonged confrontations and the resulting isolation from each other has made it hard for both sides to acquire accurate information about each other, so much so that before Henry Kissinger's first secret trip to China in 1971, he was genuinely worried that he might need to observe China's ancient rituals and kowtow to greet top officials in China.

Li: The ice broke between the United States and China during President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972. Since then Sino-American exchanges have expanded on many fronts that should have increased understanding between the two peoples. However, many Chinese remain angry with and mistrustful of the United States. What are the reasons for this anger and mistrust?

Zhao: We have to acknowledge that the development of the Sino-American relationship has some stumbling blocks, such as the trade imbalance, the Dalai Lama, the issues of Taiwan and human rights.

Although the Chinese media carries stories that are critical of the US China policy, by and large the media have been balanced in their reporting on the social progress that has been made in the United States. Chinese people hold the scientific achievements of the American people, such as the Apollo Project and silicon valley, in high esteem.

Much to their dismay, many Chinese find that the media of the United States is prejudiced towards China and that its reports on China are often scanty and inaccurate.

Win-win partnership benefits both sides

As a result, misunderstanding persists between the two peoples, as can be evidenced by the recent example of the chief executive of a radio station in Washington D.C. who, when he came to Beijing to visit China Radio International, carried with him a large amount of instant food because he was worried that he would not find anything he could eat in China.

Some Americans have gone to the other extreme and have exaggerated China's national strength so as to justify their so-called "China Threat" theories. Such theories are unproductive and have helped create an unfriendly attitude towards China in the United States and around the world.

Such activities not only distort the American people's perception of China, but also affect Chinese people's attitudes towards the United States.

Li: Many Chinese who have grown up since 1972 have relinquished their original fondness for the United States. Many Chinese, including young people whose values might appear to be identical to those of the people of America, cannot help raising disconcerting questions such as, why are the media in the United States against China?

Zhao: They also ask: Why does the media misinform the American public? Why does the United States keep churning out reports each year reprimanding China and other developing countries for violating human rights? Why does the United States raise anti-China resolutions in the annual United Nations human rights conferences? Why does the United States annually expand its arms sales to Taiwan?

These questions might explain why a few young Chinese intellectuals wrote the book The China That Can Say No in 1996.

Such pent-up feelings of resentment found a natural outlet in 1999, when the US-led NATO bombed the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia. The Chinese people's anger and indignation was apparent in the large scale demonstrations that were held.

Li: What do you think are the prospects for the Sino-American relationship in the future?

Zhao: In retrospect, it is clear to us that despite the ups and downs of the past and some lingering contentious issues, the overwhelming nature of Sino-American relations is friendly co-operation. This is how it should be. There is no reason why our two countries should not co-operate. In my opinion, the friendship between our two peoples should last forever, like the giant redwood trees that thrive in the Rocky Mountains.

As for now, China is still dedicated to promoting Sino-American friendship. Some studios and TV stations are working on films on the theme of Sino-American friendship. For example, the film Grief over the Yellow River, a big box office hit in China, features American pilots fighting the Japanese on Chinese soil.

The Chinese are a rational and mature people. They understand that with the multi-polarization of world politics and economic globalization, all the world's countries will become increasingly interdependent, politically, economically, militarily and culturally.

The United States is the largest industrialized country in the world and China is the biggest developing nation. Though great differences exist in their ideologies, strategic interests and cultural traditions, the two nations have formally established a constructive strategic partnership and share fundamental interests in many areas. The interests of both will be advanced if we strive for a win-win partnership. However, neither side shall benefit if the two turn against each other. As we stand on the threshold of the new century, we feel a heightened obligation to develop Sino-American relations for the benefit of future generations. Nothing should undermine or hinder the exchange between our two peoples.