Very rarely does one come across an authentically good foreign policy piece concerning U.S-China relations. Most analyses are highly polarized, stressing either engagement on the one hand or polarization on the other. What a joy it was to stumble upon today's Washington Post op-ed piece by Henry Kissinger! Independent of what one may think of Kissinger, his argument is an exemplar of brilliant realist foreign policy, which assumes a rather neutral position on U.S-China relations. No alarm bells or calls of 'can't we all just get along' involved. A snippet (you'll simply have to read the rest...):
China has a major interest in a stable -- and preferably growing -- U.S. economy. But China also has a growing interest in reducing its dependence on American decisions. Since American inflation as well as deflation have become for China nightmares as grave as they are for America, the two countries face the imperative of coordinating their economic policies. As America's largest creditor, China has a degree of economic leverage unprecedented in the U.S. experience. At the same time, the quest for widening the scope of independent decision exists in ambivalent combination on both sides.