Letter from the Editors
Dear reader,
Over 40 years ago, U.S. President Jimmy Carter granted China full diplomatic recognition, signifying the formal normalization of relations between the two countries. Since then, China has undergone major transformation, evolving into an economic and political superpower. Today, the U.S. and China arguably share the most significant economic relationship in the world and are each other’s largest trading partners. However, the U.S.-China relationship is more akin to an arch rivalry, leaving little room to address important shared, global concerns, such as public health and climate change. We are now at a crossroads. Although the current moment demands targeted cooperation, U.S.-China relations have only worsened in the Covid-19 era.
Founded by the U.S.-China Better Relations Coalition, the Intercollegiate U.S.-China Journal (IUCJ) strives to shift the prevailing negative narrative surrounding U.S.-China relations towards one of more positive connection and greater understanding. To this end, the inaugural issue of the IUCJ features a diverse array of student voices on global issues and foreign policy, as they pertain to the U.S. and China. As a journal staffed by students from across the globe, the IUCJ actively cultivates a new shared culture of collaboration and mutual understanding. We also hope that by publishing these articles in both English and Chinese, this issue will connect students across the Pacific by providing a common experience upon which to foster dialogue.
In the contemporary global landscape, finding sources of optimism may seem challenging. Yet there remains potential for positive collaboration if we look beyond the rhetoric. Our hope is that by fostering this culture of collaboration among the next generation of scholars and leaders, U.S.-China relations will ultimately improve to the benefit of all. We are optimistic that the voices of young people, in the United States, in China, and across the world, will be a vital part of a more nuanced narrative grounded in trust and mutual understanding, and that the U.S.-China relationship will be leveraged for the good of humanity. Our future depends on it.
Sincerely,
Stella Robertson and Ben Lipson
Co-Editors-in-Chief
Intercollegiate U.S.-China Journal
Contents
Personal Reflection
Into the Brave, Uncharted World
Liqi Xu, Georgetown ‘21
On August 1, 2020, I hopped in an Uber to Washington Dulles Airport. Georgetown, the Potomac, and everything I cherished here were disappearing quickly behind me. While chatting with the driver, I had a hunch that life would not be returning to normal any time soon…
On Interdependence
The Future of Sino-U.S. Energy Trade—Boom or Bust?
Andrew Cobb, Tsinghua ‘21 | Huanzhang Wu, Peking University ‘22
Considering the sheer bulk of their economies, it is no exaggeration to say that the future of the U.S.-China relationship will be the most crucial bilateral relationship in the shaping of the international order. This sentiment is perfectly exemplified by the energy trade, specifically the trade of fossil fuels…
Implications of the Technology Race
Jackson Barkstrom, Brown ‘21
Current tensions between the U.S. and China center around a race for technological supremacy, and this technological race raises the stakes for all investors: it increases investment risk and requires further analysis on potential impact and opportunity. While the technology race between China and the United States could hinder U.S.-China collaboration and slow global climate change cooperation…
Outlook on Global Public Health’s Covid-19 Response
Interview with Ashish K. Jha, Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health
The U.S. and China have very different views about how to engage with the world but I think competing with each other is less useful than cooperating with each other. To the extent that both countries can move towards a more cooperative mode, the world will be better for it…
Promoting Technology Development in China
Yichuan Shi, MIT ‘23 | Yiling Shi, NYU Shanghai ‘22 | Chenglong An, Sichuan International Studies University ‘21 | Peter Winston Michalak, Harvard ‘21 | Carmen Chan, Wellesley ‘22
While accelerating many exciting trends, the pandemic and its national response also unfortunately furthered the polarization of performance and scale in the Chinese economy: While large companies got an even larger market share through partnerships with the government…
Investing in a Greener Future: U.S.-China Cooperation on Climate Action
Interview with Huang Zhong, co-founder of the Sustainable Finance Institute | Cary Krosinsky, author of Modern China
It’s very costly to maintain fossil-based energy security, as evidenced by the U.S.’s decades long security dilemma in the Middle East. China doesn’t want to compete with the U.S. for the control of global oil and gas resources…
On Global Affairs Concerning the United States and China
Baikal Sinophobia: A Threat to the Russo-Chinese Strategic Partnership
Alexander Naumov, George Mason University ‘20
While many Russians see the Chinese government as a political ally, public opinion data and the protests demonstrate that bottom-up perceptions of China may interpose future Chinese investment in Russia. Converging strategic interests, shared semi-authoritarian political values, and accomplishments in bilateral relations since 2001…
Private Equity in China: The Impact of Regulatory Systems on Private Equity Firms
Hannah Bradford, University of Texas at Austin ‘21 | Riley McKinzie, University of Texas at Austin ‘22
In the last several decades, China’s economy has seen extraordinary growth and development. From joining the World Trade Organization and becoming the second-largest economy in the world to expanding its financial and banking sectors, China’s economic growth since the early 2000s has surpassed almost every prediction…
What the World Owes to Laos
Laura Navarro, Duke Kunshan University ‘22
During the Vietnam War, the United States justified a military intervention in Southeast Asia as a means to contain the expansion of communism and consolidate their power and credibility. Although the war officially took place in North and South Vietnam, Laos PDR became the most heavily bombed country in the world during this period. This paper examines these bombing missions and their repercussions…