| dc.description.abstract | In the 1970s, Deng Xiaoping started to transform China by opening up to the West. Deng knew he needed help from the United States (hereafter US) to improve China’s science and technology (hereafter S&T), in order to expand its economy and political power. The scholarly debate on Sino-American relations can be divided into two schools of thought: those who emphasize China as an economic and political threat to the US, and those who argue that the US will remain a hegemonic power despite China’s rapid economic and political growth. Therefore, the Sino-American cooperation on china’s economic growth and increased stature in the world presents a paradox: supporting China could threaten the US as the pre-eminent economic and political world power. Thus, this study analyzes why the US government played such an active role in supporting Chinese S&T reforms from the 1970s until the 1990s. To answer this question, this study analyzes Sino-American relations in three periods and from the perspective of the theory of realism. This research has led to the following conclusions:
● The US was aware that China needed the US in order to modernize which is why the US positioned itself as an indispensable partner in China’s S&T modernizations.
● The US became involved with China’s S&T reforms so it could profit from China’s economic developments while maintaining influence on China through improved Sino-American economic relations.
● Although China has grown tremendously and has become a world power, the United States has been able to control China’s reforms. Consequently, China has not surpassed the United States as a world power.
Throughout this thesis, primary sources such as briefing memoranda, progress reports, defense estimative briefs, background papers and agreements have been used. These sources can be found in American archives such as the nongovernmental Digital National Security Archive and the Wilson Center’s Digital Archive. In addition, scholarly literature about the theory of realism and Sino-American relations was used to analyze these primary sources (Waltz, 2000; Snyder, 2004; Mearsheimer, 2013; Frieden et al. 2013). | |
