Zongyuan Zoe Liu
Not long ago, Americans and Chinese mostly liked each other. In 2011, polls showed that most people in each country viewed the other favorably. Economically, the United States and China seemed inseparable. The term “Chimerica” captured this dynamic: China produced and saved; America consumed and borrowed. The relationship was celebrated as the engine of global growth, helping the world recover from the 2008 financial crisis.
Today, Chimerica is long forgotten. A 2024 Pew survey shows that 81 percent of Americans view China unfavorably, with 42 percent viewing it as an “enemy” of the United States. The turning point came in 2012, when presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney blamed China for job losses to court swing voters in Ohio.
China has lost America. U.S. President Donald Trump did not cause the rift between Washington and Beijing, but so far, he has shown little interest in fixing it.
Both the United States and China are trudging down a similar path of disillusionment. The difference is that the United States has domestic resources and friendly neighbors that make it more likely to muddle through its challenges, while China faces a steeper climb due to resource constraints and volatile neighbors.
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