"Leaked Cables Offer Glimpses Into Relations of U.S. and China"

Hundreds of messages between the American Embassy and the Chinese government were posted on WikiLeaks highlighting the tensions between these two powerful countries. The WikiLeaks articles range from the pollution levels in the capital city of Beijing, to the social unrest between the Han and Uighurs ethnic groups, and to the more pressing subject of China’s developing nuclear program and their ties with North Korea and Iran. The Chinese government requested that the Chinese citizens be blocked from websites that published the WikiLeaks, because of the “social consequences” that could ensue. The issue raised in this article isn’t about the content of messages, but to the people’s names that were included in the articles. In many cases, the mentioned people may not have been completely loyal and happy with their system of government, and the release of these messages could put them in a dangerous and unsafe situation.

The article concludes with the broader subject of America’s ongoing struggle over nuclear weapons with other nations—particularly those who do not agree on many aspects in governmental policies (China, Iran). The author of the article, Michael Wines, stresses the fact that if the specific Chinese people mentioned in the WikiLeaks are found, the punishment will likely be little to none. But if WikiLeaks releases more detailed messages about nuclear weapons in China, the consequences could be monumental. (Showing the differences between American democracy and Chinese communism). Though this article does highlight several points that do not directly pertain to the American public, the underlying meaning throughout this article is that the ties America has with China aren’t very strong, and they will most likely worsen with time in many areas. China will soon have the largest and fastest growing economy in the world, and with that comes an enormous amount of power. If America does not “position” themselves well with China, we could lose our ties with them, and potentially putting ourselves into danger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o31saciFcI

Vice President Joe Biden's recent trip to Asia

"When the United States and China are not at the table, the solution to the problem is less possible, than when we are at the table."

"We should be realistic, we won't always be able to work together. In some areas we have vigorous disagreements, and in some we'll have vigorous competition--but I believe on balance we'll have much more to agree on than disagree on."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/world/asia/05china.html?ref=china