When Perceptions Change: Two Decades of US-China Trade Relations

34 Pages Posted: 1 Aug 2011 Last revised: 19 Oct 2011

See all articles by Peter Swartz

Peter Swartz

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Kaoru Shimizu

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: 2011

Abstract

By the time of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands incident between China and Japan in early September 2010, and the subsequent interruptions in trade in rare-earths, the American perception of China’s economic strength had definitively soured. While the Diaoyu/Senkaku episode raised new concerns over China’s use of its growing economic power, however, negative portrayal of China had begun years prior. This paper attempts to understand, through the Chinese case, how, when, and why the US public’s perceptions of trading partners change. We focus on the shift in perceptions of China as a trade partner over the last two decades among the American public as portrayed in the media through the voices of industry leaders, trade advocates, labor unions, and politicians. US perceptions of China’s overall economic power began turning sour around 2004-2005, and this negative shift has continued to pick up steam in the years that followed. We find that widely-reported international events explain best the shifts in perceptions observed.

Suggested Citation

Swartz, Peter and Shimizu, Kaoru, When Perceptions Change: Two Decades of US-China Trade Relations (2011). APSA 2011 Annual Meeting Paper, MIT Political Science Department Research Paper No. 2011-19, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1900135 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1900135

Peter Swartz

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

No Address Available

Kaoru Shimizu (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

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