US, Chinese scholars examine postwar relationship

A panel discussion on Tuesday examined the United States-China relationship amid the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, highlighting the legacy of the two countries' cooperation with European allies against Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan.

The 18th American Studies Network Conference, hosted by the US-China Education Trust, featured academic experts and creatives from the organization's vast network. They used the anniversary as a framework to examine present-day US-China relations.

Emily Matson, a professorial lecturer of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and an adjunct professor of modern Chinese history at Georgetown University, said it is important to reflect on the shared history.

"To understand how we got to this point, we need to understand the past," she told China Daily. "It is also because the US and China both use history constantly in pursuit of current policy goals."

The two-hour discussion was introduced by Julia Chang Bloch, former US ambassador to Nepal and executive chair and founder of the US-China Education Trust.

"Our panel of historians and cultural scholars invites us to revisit the past — not to romanticize it, but to understand it more fully," Bloch said. "And how a deeper historical understanding might help us navigate what is arguably the most consequential bilateral relationship of the 21st century."

World War II marked a time when the US and China were not rivals or strategic competitors, but allies in a global fight for survival, she said.

Yet, few scholars have illuminated this period clearly, especially the aggression and atrocities by Japan — a wound that still runs deep for many Chinese, she added.

Tensions were recently reignited after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi linked Japan's "survival-threatening situation" with a "Taiwan contingency".

"In China … the narrative of resilience and victory over Japanese aggression is deeply embedded in its national consciousness, shaping public expectations of respect, recognition and historical justice," Bloch said.

"US and Chinese interpretations of World War II often diverge, not because they contradict each other, but because they emphasize different truths, even amid today's tensions."

'Struggle for survival'

Rana Mitter, the S.T. Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School and author of Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937-1945, said the book recounts China's "horrific" World War II experience — "a real struggle for survival".

The eight years of all-out war between China and Japan have been forgotten in the West, "particularly in the US", he said, adding that remembering what happened is essential.

Wang Dong, a professor of international studies at Peking University, said, "US-China relations are not condemned to repeat the past, but they are heavily shaped by how each side reads the past."

Mitter and Bloch underscored the importance of student exchanges. However, Bloch was dismayed that current student numbers had fallen sharply, saying that there are about 265,000 Chinese students in US universities, down from a peak of more than 370,000 in 2019. Meanwhile, the number of US students in China has plunged from about 15,000 in 2015 to roughly 1,000 today.

"The legacy of World War II …reminds us that Americans and Chinese are capable of remarkable cooperation when they see shared interests and common humanity," Bloch said.

belindarobinson@chinadailyusa.com