And a second editorial six US newspapers didn't want to touch

One day ago, I posted an editorial that went to six US newspapers over the span of about a month that received no reply. That was one of two that I sought to have published regarding the US and China.

Here’s the second one, which included the proposed title…

Make US-China relations great again

The time is ripe for meaningful change in the direction of US-Chinese relations. Change can be demonstrated in at least three ways. First, the two nations need to expand cooperation in fighting the most vexing challenges of the twenty-first century. Whether the issue is climate change, food insecurity, chronic poverty, preparing for future pandemics or something else, Washington and Beijing are far more likely to find solutions alongside each other than if each operated independently. Next, a new US presidential administration ought to invite in themes such as mutual respect rather than higher tariffs; positive ideas can and should be front of mind. Finally, people-to-people exchanges, most especially involving American and Chinese youth, ought to be expanded so that the future bilateral relationship is in a better position than the current one.

A change in thinking about US-China relations should allow Americans to alter their view of what modern day China represents. At minimum, it would offer an opportunity to ask why the prevailing narrative about China remains negative and to consider how that consistent negativity engenders a deep distrust of China. The narrative is all too familiar. One part suggests that any high-tech gadget created in China must remain off limits to Americans because those items might pose threats to US national security. Whether the conversation involves electric vehicles, social media apps or something else, the message is simple: If it comes from China, it cannot be trusted. Another part steadily repeats a message claiming China deliberately will not align with the West’s view of the global order. Among the many missing elements to this simplified line: A recognition that the two cultures think differently. The trifecta of suspicion ends with the belief that China is preparing to engage in war with the US. A leaked memo purportedly written by a four-star Air Force general suggesting such a war would happen this year drew national attention when it came to light two years ago. One scholar at the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology threw cold water on that idea, and other experts have pointed out that any conflict involving Washington and Beijing would be a long, bloody affair with horrible consequences.

Rethinking China as solely a foe is wise. Choosing to do that does not mean tough questions cannot be asked. Viewing China positively does not mean loyalty to America has ended. Such attitudes should not mandate being attacked as people were during the ridiculous scare tactics demonstrated by Sen. Joe McCarthy in the early years of the Cold War; American society should have demonstrated more strength than it did when he held his infamous hearings more than 70 years ago, and it must reject such feeble political theater today.

Two seminal events in US-China relations took place in the 1970s, and the their impact continues to resonate. First, Richard Nixon visited China in 1972, a trip that cracked open the door to the two nations engaging with each other. At the end of the decade, Jimmy Carter established full diplomatic relations between US and China, a move he considered among the most significant of his presidency.

In a 2018 editorial appearing in the Washington Post, Carter highlighted the importance of positive bilateral relations between the US and China. “In 1979, Deng Xiaoping and I knew we were advancing the cause of peace. … Leaders must bring new vision, courage and ingenuity to new challenges and opportunities, but I believe they also must accept our conviction that the United States and China need to build their futures together, for themselves and for humanity at large.”

President Carter was right, and his words matter even more today.