China Trade Prospects and U.S. Policy
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Description
Few problems in the realm of international relations have seemed more tenacious and complex than that involving relations between the United States and mainland China. The Communist government has now existed for more than twenty years, and during that time America’s contacts with the people of China have been minimal. In recent years, the United States has made certain overtures to the People’s Republic of China, suggesting new possibilities for the future. Thus far, those overtures have been largely ignored. No one can doubt, however, that his is a transitional era for China, with an aging group of leaders dominated by the single figure of Mao Tse-tung now reaching the end of their long tenure in power. In less than ten years, China will be led by men whose names we cannot possible predict today, and their policies, both domestic and foreign, may well determine whether it is to be peace or war for Asia. It is in this context that the National Committee on United States-China Relations began its efforts in 1966. Ours is a non-partisan group composed of individuals taking a wide range of positions on substantive issues. Our central purpose is to explore in as objective and rational a manner as possible all aspects of “the China problem,” including domestic trends in mainland China and various U. S. policy alternatives. In a period marked by extensive emotionalism and when China once again threatens to be used as a tool for internal political purposes, we seek to keep the level of dialogue as high as possible, permitting all positions to be heard. One issue of possible future importance is that of trade between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. As is well known, our government has recently initiated certain modest changes of policy in this respect. It therefore seems appropriate to explore various aspects of this subject at this time. We are particularly fortunate in having Professor Alexander Eckstein supervise and direct these studies and in having the research services of Jerome A. Cohen of the Harvard Law School, Robert F. Dernberger of the University of Michigan, and John R. Garson of the law firm Bingham, Dana and Gould. Each has contributed a major paper on aspects of U. S.-China trade. (The views expressed by them are entirely their own and do not represent those of the National Committee.) The presentations of these three specialists formed the basis for two initial study sessions in New York City, built around a seminar composed of about thirty leading businessmen, government representatives, economists, and scholars, who examined their content in depth. W. Michael Blumenthal, President of Bendix International, chaired the sessions; he was remarkably effective in focusing the group’s attention on the crucial substantive issues. The sessions were so successful that we subsequently held two full-day seminars, the first in San Francisco under the chairmanship of William Roberts, President of Ampex Corporation, and the second in New York under the chairmanship of John Diebold, Chairman of Diebold Group, Inc. At both sessions, general background briefings were set forth and presented to invited representatives of leading corporations. I should reiterate that these sessions were not designed to create support for any single policy, nor did the participants hold a single point of view. Rather, the meetings were in line with the general purpose of the National Committee—to study seriously all issue having to do with China and U. S.-China relations. If these sessions accomplished that purpose, as I believe they did, we are greatly indebted to those who supervised and chaired them, to those who prepared the major papers, and to those who took time from busy schedules to participate in the sessions themselves. We feel that the research papers are sufficiently interesting and important to be presented to a wider audience. Hence, we are making them available in this volume with the hope that they will stimulate the same type of informed discussion that was initiated in San Francisco and New York.
Publication Date
1971
Recommended Citation
Cohen, Jerome A.; Dernberger, Robert F.; and Garson, John R., "China Trade Prospects and U.S. Policy" (1971). Faculty Books & Edited Works. 113.
https://gretchen.law.nyu.edu/fac-books-edited-works/113
