China: a Potential Threat to U.S Power?

Madeline Moton

In recent news, Chinese President Hu Jintao addressed growing concern from U.S and other powerful countries that the Chinese military and navy were developing too rapidly for their comfort. The President said that the country is only interested in becoming a major sea power and it would never threaten other nations to seek regional dominance. He also said that China's military and navy is only a forced used to maintain peace and advance common development. In order to subsude the tension between it and other countries, China openly displayed its vessels, including the nuclear carriers.

As many people would say, this bring concern to most and for good reason. China is a country simialr to North Korea (to a small degree) that has been on the rocks with its international relationships and warfare. There is a postitve aspect to this news development which is the fact that China was poen and willing to discuss the situation. That shows other countries that maybe the acts of China are not as conniving and malitious as initially suspected.

The only thing that comes to mind as striking is the fact that this is automatically concieved as a negative development from the United States point of view. Is this such an issue because the U.S does not want to lose its position in international status as the most military powerful country and does not want its position compromised? The condition of a unipolar international system probably would not work effectively if it was shared between China and the U.S mainly because one of the only things keeping their relationship peaceful and war-free is trade. So, that fact that China is developing its military so all can know is a positive concept, but the fact that it can be a fierce competetion with the U.S is a negative concern.