Michael Hayden, Director of the CIA, had this to say about China:

The director of the CIA told an audience at Kansas State University on Wednesday that China is “not the inevitable enemy” of the United States.

Michael Hayden spoke about three main challenges facing the United States: burgeoning populations, China’s increasing economic power and America’s prickly relationship with Europe.

Hayden said the world’s population is expected to grow by 45 percent to 9 billion people by midcentury, mostly in countries that cannot sustain such growth, such as Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Combine that with the likely mass migration to developed countries, and resources will be strained, leading to an increased risk of violence, civil unrest or extremism, he said.

China will become an economic and political competitor to the United States, he said, but should not be treated as “an inevitable enemy.”

Although the rapid growth of the Chinese military could pose a threat to the United States and Taiwan, Hayden said, he believes that the nation’s aim of military modernization is about “projecting strength” and demonstrating that it has “great-power status.” Watch Hayden talk about what the CIA will focus on in the future »

Hayden did warn that China is focusing too narrowly on its own objectives.

“If Beijing begins to accept greater responsibility for the health of the international system — as all global powers should — we will remain on a constructive, even if competitive path,” he said.

“If not, the rise of China begins to look more adversarial.”

I’d have to agree with that assessment. China will, inevitably, become a super power, it’s just a question of when. How we deal with them now, when they’re weak (or weaker, I should say), will determine how our relationship ends up down the road. If we treat them as an adversary, they will become an enemy and a threat; a conflict (or, at the very least, a serious Cold War) will follow. If we treat them fairly — as a friendly, economic competitor — they’ll remember that and reciprocate (to an extent…they are communists, after all).

Regardless, we shouldn’t let our guard down when it comes to the Chi-coms. They aren’t exactly our ideological blood-brothers or anything, and they are exploiting certain trade agreements to their advantage. That, in addition to the rapid build-up and modernization of their armed forces, makes it necessary for us to keep a close eye on them.

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