An Introduction to Intercultural Communication. Fred E. Jandt

      Air quality is a major problem in Chinese cities.

      Associated Press/Getty Images

      Population

      In terms of land area, China is slightly smaller than the United States. It’s also the most populous country in the world. Its population was estimated to be 1.38 billion as of 2018, or about 4.2 times as many people as in the United States. China’s population accounts for a little less than one-fifth of the entire human race. Some estimates are that China has more than 160 cities whose population exceeds 1 million; the United States has 10. Over 91% of Chinese are of Han ethnicity. The government officially recognizes 56 other ethnic groups, and social harmony is one of the ideological underpinnings of the Chinese Communist Party. Yet ethnic unrest does exist. The northwestern-most region of China has seen frequent confrontations between the Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim people, and the Han Chinese who are perceived as a colonial power.

      Largely due to its former one-child policy, China’s population is aging. China’s population is projected to have peaked at 1.44 billion in 2019 and then to decline. In 1980, the median age was 22.1. In 2018, it had risen to 37.7 (United States is 38.2; world is 30.6). One forecast is that by 2050, it will be 46.3. The consequence is that by mid-century China will have a smaller percentage of people in its workforce and a much larger percentage drawing pensions. To address the demands of the aging population, a new policy became effective in 2016 allowing all couples to have two children.

      Current Issues in Chinese-U.S. Relations

      Territorial Sovereignty

      Territorial sovereignty is the right of a nation-state to exercise its powers within the boundaries of its territory. China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, Tibet, offshore waters, and airspace.

      After a review of each, you’ll read of communication between the two countries over a perceived violation of airspace.

      Taiwan

      Today, Taiwan is a technologically advanced island of 23 million people with a dynamic capitalist economy. In the past, Taiwan and the mainland disputed which was the legitimate government of one China. Taiwan’s government has evolved from one-party rule under martial law into a full-fledged democracy. In 1996, Taiwan became the first government in the Chinese-speaking world to have a democratically elected president. Education reforms added a Taiwan-centric history curriculum. Previously, textbooks focused only on Chinese history. Today more than half of the population identify as Taiwanese, about 40% identify as both Taiwanese and Chinese, and less than 4% identify only as Chinese.

      Taiwan has never declared formal independence. It has argued that China is one country with two governments, much like Germany before reunification. On that basis, Taiwan sought greater international recognition and readmission to the United Nations. U.S. presidents have recognized that Taiwan is part of China, yet the United States has sold jet fighters to the Taiwanese and dispatched aircraft carriers to the waters off Taiwan when China displayed military force near its shores. Under the current president, despite public protests, China and Taiwan have held talks on improved relations, launched regular direct flights between the two, and allowed more mainland tourists to visit the island.

      Focus on Technology 3.3 Status of Taiwan

      In 2018, China demanded that 44 international airlines change their websites to not imply Taiwan is separate from China such as by not including Taiwan in drop-down menus listing destinations. The United States and other governments objected. The airlines complied.

      The next year, China began pressing 66 multinational companies, including Apple and Nike, to only refer to Taiwan as part of China.

      Tibet

      Chinese control over Tibet dates as far back as the 13th century. In the 1940s and 1950s, British and U.S. agents were seen to have been encouraging independence. Chinese troops occupied Tibet in 1950, waging war on the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism. In 1959, the Dalai Lama unsuccessfully tried to oust Chinese forces and was forced into exile, creating an exile community of some 145,000 around the world. The Dalai Lama has proposed autonomy—not independence—for Tibet, allowing China to retain control over defense and foreign affairs. The major concern has been the elimination of the Tibetan culture, language, and faith as more Chinese move into the region. Tibetan exiles claim that more Chinese live in Tibet than Tibetans. Many young Tibetans now speak a pidgin of Chinese and Tibetan. No Western country challenges China’s sovereignty, but the United States and others have protested the treatment of the people and culture of Tibet. China has responded that the Nobel Prize–winning Dalai Lama is trying to achieve political objectives of independence under the guise of religion. The Dalai Lama has since relinquished his political duties, and Lobsang Sangay was elected prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile. Chinese officials declared the election illegal.