Michael Lumbers
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719077784
- eISBN:
- 9781781700808
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719077784.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Political History
This chapter explores how China figured in Lyndon Baines Johnson's worldview as he assumed the presidency, and the events in 1964 – French recognition and the Chinese nuclear test – that steadily ...
More
This chapter explores how China figured in Lyndon Baines Johnson's worldview as he assumed the presidency, and the events in 1964 – French recognition and the Chinese nuclear test – that steadily undermined the policy he inherited. Johnson's predilection for preserving intact US China policy stemmed from an article of faith that governed his general approach to foreign affairs, and he approached foreign policy from a decidedly negative and defensive perspective. French recognition presented a quandary to many of America's allies, and also stirred concern in Tokyo that Japan's clout in Asia would wane if it continued to remain allied to Taiwan. The growing likelihood of a Chinese nuclear test confronted Washington with the prospect of another diplomatic coup for the People's Republic of China (PRC) and further tensions with its Western partners. Johnson approved a number of initiatives aimed at prolonging the PRC's isolation.Less
This chapter explores how China figured in Lyndon Baines Johnson's worldview as he assumed the presidency, and the events in 1964 – French recognition and the Chinese nuclear test – that steadily undermined the policy he inherited. Johnson's predilection for preserving intact US China policy stemmed from an article of faith that governed his general approach to foreign affairs, and he approached foreign policy from a decidedly negative and defensive perspective. French recognition presented a quandary to many of America's allies, and also stirred concern in Tokyo that Japan's clout in Asia would wane if it continued to remain allied to Taiwan. The growing likelihood of a Chinese nuclear test confronted Washington with the prospect of another diplomatic coup for the People's Republic of China (PRC) and further tensions with its Western partners. Johnson approved a number of initiatives aimed at prolonging the PRC's isolation.
Aiden Warren and Adam Bartley
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- May 2022
- ISBN:
- 9781474453059
- eISBN:
- 9781474496339
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474453059.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
The introduction illustrates that there is an exceptional yet perturbing convergence in the longer-term fundamental drivers and the short-term recurring ones at the core of U.S.-China relations. ...
More
The introduction illustrates that there is an exceptional yet perturbing convergence in the longer-term fundamental drivers and the short-term recurring ones at the core of U.S.-China relations. Together, they are pressing this relationship toward a more competitive domain, and the ensuing competition will likely draw in a wider array of issues and encompass more actors. In examining the three U.S. presidents in the twenty-first century—Bush, Obama, and Trump—it is unclear as to whether a new U.S. president would or could fundamentally alter this intensifying dynamic or whether Xi Jinping would drastically shift course in the new decade and beyond. Many of these drivers are knotted to the personalities, material interests, and capabilities of both states, indicating, but not ensuring, their permanence. Consequently, it is evident that relations are perhaps moving toward a new period which, unlike previous ones, will be characterized by an amplified preponderance of competition and the enhanced probability of conflict and confrontation. As the following chapters will reveal, obtaining an equilibrium in U.S.-China relations between cooperation and competition will be increasingly difficult to achieve as the latter becomes more pronounced and the former contracts and is viewed to be of limited value.Less
The introduction illustrates that there is an exceptional yet perturbing convergence in the longer-term fundamental drivers and the short-term recurring ones at the core of U.S.-China relations. Together, they are pressing this relationship toward a more competitive domain, and the ensuing competition will likely draw in a wider array of issues and encompass more actors. In examining the three U.S. presidents in the twenty-first century—Bush, Obama, and Trump—it is unclear as to whether a new U.S. president would or could fundamentally alter this intensifying dynamic or whether Xi Jinping would drastically shift course in the new decade and beyond. Many of these drivers are knotted to the personalities, material interests, and capabilities of both states, indicating, but not ensuring, their permanence. Consequently, it is evident that relations are perhaps moving toward a new period which, unlike previous ones, will be characterized by an amplified preponderance of competition and the enhanced probability of conflict and confrontation. As the following chapters will reveal, obtaining an equilibrium in U.S.-China relations between cooperation and competition will be increasingly difficult to achieve as the latter becomes more pronounced and the former contracts and is viewed to be of limited value.
