Following the border war between the USSR and China, Richard Nixon made a brilliant move diplomatically by completely reversing US relations with China. From that point forward, the US and China held something of an unofficial agreement that if the USSR attacked either China or the USA + NATO, then they would help one another defeat the USSR. When the USSR wanted to nuke the hell out of China, they checked with the USA to see if they could get away with it. I don't know what was said exactly, but suffice it to say, the USSR didn't nuke China even though they certainly wanted to. The USA was apparently quite persuasive.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...prc-soviet.htm

The Beijing government began to challenge Soviet occupation of these disputed areas in 1963, and, with China's demonstration of its nuclear capability in 1964, the military build-up on both sides of the border began in earnest. In Japanese press, Mao was quoted as saying that both Vladivostok and Khabarovsk were on territory that had belonged to China save for 'unequal treaties.'

Soviet ground forces had been augmented in the last half of 1967 in regions bordering China in the Far East and Transbaykal Military Districts. From 1965 to the end of 1969, the USSR increased its deployment of ground forces in the military districts adjacent to the Chinese border from 13 divisions to 21 divisions.

The 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and the buildup of Soviet forces in the Soviet Far East raised Chinese suspicions of Soviet intentions. China's deployment of missiles force began just as China's perception of the major military threat to its national security shifted from the United States to the Soviet Union.

Sharp border clashes between Soviet and Chinese troops occurred in 1969, roughly a decade after relations between the two countries had begun to deteriorate and some four years after a buildup of Soviet forces along China's northern border had begun. The Zhenbao/Demansky Island conflict flared up in March 1969, and then spread from the Ussuri River along the border into Central Asia. Particularly heated border clashes occurred in the northeast along the Sino-Soviet border formed by the Heilong Jiang (Amur River) and the Wusuli Jiang (Ussuri River), on which China claimed the right to navigate.

This conflict raised the prospect of a Soviet strike into China, a prospect supported by a widespread rumor that the USSR was considering a "surgical strike" on the Chinese nuclear testing facilities in Xinjiang. The veracity of this rumor was augmented by the appointment of Colonel General Tolubko, deputy commander of the USSR's Strategic Rocket Forces, to command the Soviet Far East Military District.

Increased Soviet military deployments and realignment of the military districts facing China in Central Asia added to China's perceptions of a growing Soviet military threat. The number of Soviet divisions increased to 30 in 1970 and to 44 in 1971. These forces, including two or three divisions in the Mongolian People's Republic (MPR), were supported by some 1,000 combat aircraft controlled by a coordinated air defense system that was established in the MPR sometime in 1970.

Tensions remained high until September 1969 when Zhou Enlai and Alexei Kosygin met in Beijing and announced resumption of border talks begun in 1964. In October 1969, Beijing published its 'basic principles' calling for, "...the eventual replacement of the unequal treaties with a new, equal Sino-Soviet treaty and for the erection of properly surveyed border markers."

By the time Henry Kissinger visited China in the summer of 1971, dominant voices in Beijing were convinced that China faced a potentially more dangerous and immediate adversary than the United States. This shift in primary adversaries from the United States to the USSR contributed to the achievement of a Sino-American rapprochement confirmed by President Richard Nixon when he visited China in February 1972.

The Sino-Soviet border dispute was particularly disturbing since both the USSR and China were now nuclear powers. However, in order to limit the danger of secalation, a tacit bargain was apparently reached that neither side would resort to air power. In the following years, annual rounds of talks were held, all without significant progress. Border provocations occasionally recurred in later years--for example, in May 1978 when Soviet troops in boats and a helicopter intruded into Chinese territory--but major armed clashes were averted.

What I wonder is this: You sortof had an alliance between the USA and China. So when and how did that fall appart. Sure, it was never a love affair between the two great nations. More of a "planning for the worst to happen" relationship in all truth. The critical role that China played in being a possible combatant in the fight between the USSR and NATO is seldom given much attention. I don't know how much faith the USA and China truly had in each other. But there was an alliance of sorts.

It puzzles me. How did that relationship fall appart?

I dont know exactly but it was around the time of the fall of the USSR and tianamen square that relations seemed to sour. China no longer felt threatened by the USSR and tianamen square won china no friends, and all military equipment orders to china were cancelled, due to that incident.

I think you can probably add the case where the USA did not support China's position in their little border war with Vietnam in 1980 as another item that soured the relationship.

Does the fact that a loose alliance once existed between the USA and China offer something to build on? I'd like to see relations improve, myself. Lets face it, in today's world, those two countries are your biggest heavy hitters. The lack of a perceived threat to both China and the USA means that future relations must be built on something else. For the time being, trade is the centerpiece to the relationship. Where does it go from here?

Originally Posted by Shadowalker

I dont know exactly but it was around the time of the fall of the USSR and tianamen square that relations seemed to sour. China no longer felt threatened by the USSR and tianamen square won china no friends, and all military equipment orders to china were cancelled, due to that incident.

I agree with this, once the cold war died the need for US/China alliance died as well on top of this China was already on its own path to superpower-dom which meant it was always going to compete with the US.

I dont think that Tianamen square was a anything more than an excuse to part ways as other nations have done much worse and still remained allies (Chile, Iraq to name a few).

Originally Posted by godofthunder9010

I think you can probably add the case where the USA did not support China's position in their little border war with Vietnam in 1980 as another item that soured the relationship.

Does the fact that a loose alliance once existed between the USA and China offer something to build on? I'd like to see relations improve, myself. Lets face it, in today's world, those two countries are your biggest heavy hitters. The lack of a perceived threat to both China and the USA means that future relations must be built on something else. For the time being, trade is the centerpiece to the relationship. Where does it go from here?

China is one of the genuine enigmas of world history. For centuries the most advanced and civilized nation on earth, she has never had the military might to back her status, despite her millions of citizens. For the first time in China's history, largely due to nuclear weapons and the fall of the USSR, she is in, military wise, the most powerful phase of her history. You rightly mention that trade is the centerpiece of the relationship. Trade is arguably the most important relationship that can exist between nations. For the time being there is nowhere else for any US-China relationship to go. However, trade with the West beings Western values, seeing as the trade is almost exclusively one way - us to them. China is already the 2nd biggest PC market in the world and growing 7 times faster than the US market. Western companies are falling over themselves to obtain trading and manufacturing rights in Chinese markets. For the first time it's now possible to buy shares in Chinese companies. Chinese students are flooding Western Universities (I know because there are tons at mine).

If trade continues at the current pace, you may find that in 20 years time relations will gradually grow closer. However, the Chinese still may have that innate superiority that they feel is their right over the 'barbarians' that populate the rest of the world. I'm not sure about that but I do know that there were reasons why the People's Republic of China emerged and I know that their greatest enemy, the Soviet Union, is no more. However, there does need to be some political reforms or some observers predict that the current Chinese economic boom will collapse and China will go the same way as some of the other Asian 'Tiger' economies.

I still don't see why everybody thinks China is straining to be a superpower and go for world conquest. They've been around for so long and have never caused much trouble. US should trust them once and for all.

I guess that depends on what you consider to be "causing trouble", but that works. The reason that you have a certain amount of fear of China ... not conquering the world perhaps, but conquering other nations in the region ... comes from largely from the fact that the PRC has a violent track record with the countries that share a border with them:
USSR (now Russia and other former Soviet states)
Mongolia
Korea
Vietnam
Myanmar (Burma)
India
Bhutan
Nepal
Pakistan
Afganistan
Tibet

Of that list, the People's Republic of China has invaded (for varying reasons):
Korea
India
USSR/Russia
Vietnam
Tibet

What about those that they have not invaded? Well, other than Myanmar and Pakistan, none of the nations are worth bothering to worry about. Pakistan has gotten a lot of help from China in their fights with India. Myanmar alone is not an ally and has not yet been attacked by the PRC. Especially if you live anywhere close to China, that past history is worrisome.

Also, the Qing Dynasty was a dynasty of conquest. Many regions that were never ruled by any other dynasty were conquered and added by the Qing. It could be argued that the conquered nations were better off, but it is still conquest. To different degrees, every dynasty was established by conquest. But its true that they most certainly have not ever tried to conquer the world.

Bear in mind, I'm not claiming that China IS out to conquer the world, I'm just pointing out some items from their history that could give one that they might try it at some point. I prefer to be optimistic about it.

See the thing is I think the US could actually convince and persuade China to just settle down and not have any ideas of taking over more territory.

They've been around for so long and have never caused much trouble. US should trust them once and for all.

they have been the cause of trouble for a lot many countries including the USA since 1949 when Mao Zedong and the communists took over and are now too , thing is they are more of a trouble for the USA now than they were earlier, the signs have already started to show

See the thing is I think the US could actually convince and persuade China to just settle down and not have any ideas of taking over more territory.

they aren't taking any more territory now , they have already done their job lol

Originally Posted by godofthunder9010

The lack of a perceived threat to both China and the USA means that future relations must be built on something else. For the time being, trade is the centerpiece to the relationship. Where does it go from here?

For my part, I certainly hope it stays where it is, but I fear the worst. As China's armed forces grow in strength and China invests in its own military technology, affairs between the two powers could rapidly deteriorate. I really hope this gets avoided somehow, another cold war wouldn't do humanity a lot of good...