One man's opinion.
China is a place. It is a people. It is a society, the result of a long-term insular force. This force has over hundreds of years developed a culture that is based on the concept of isolation and continues to contribute strongly to the support of that notion.
The Wall of China is one of the physical symbols of that force and gives evidence to China's recognition and its awareness of her location and position in the world. Most of her relations with other countries are manifestations of that insular characteristic.
It was at that wall that China was able to draw an isolating line, dividing itself from the outside influences and attacks to its culture coming from that part of the world.
In many ways the function of this insulating force is of curious interest, of course to its nearby neighbors, perhaps more than to nations of the rest of the world.
Those who have more thoroughly studied China's history have produced much evidence of this strange isolating factor, more natural to primitive tribes and clans than to the characteristic of nations, especially in the “modern” world.
Without going much deeper into this perspective of what China is, to understand the few points that I'm going to make here at this moment as to America's relations with China, we must understand also that the forces that make China what it is today are further supported by its long-term historical memory not only of its culture but to what it is and was as a physical place.
Because of its long sense of history, what was once part of China, whatever it is under its present name is still part of China, only temporarily, if that means centuries, separated and as a function of that insular sense former territories must eventually be returned to China. Example, Hong Kong and other territories.
Today China is sensitive to any threat from outside invasion of its culture or physical bounderies. And in our relations with China we must be aware of those sensitivities. China drew her armies into North Korea when General MacArthur went beyond the line.
This short discourse is to serve as a short introduction to our problem of South Korea and North Korea at the borders of China. How much of Korea is part of China's history and how much is the history of both North and South Korea is a local problem, causing a great interest by China in what is happening or will be happening in North Korea today and tomorrow.
The force of China's long-term memory and pride in its history enters into the situation that has developed between what is now North Korea and South Korea, a territory of interest at her borders.
Our support of South Korea must now be viewed as to how our participation in the dispute between the two Korean States affects our present relations with China and as to how what is occurring here now may impact our future relations. Our policies in this situation cannot be but fluid as they develop in this developing situation.
Yet we are perhaps confronting greater dangers today than we were during the war between North and South Korea. While our aircraft carriers sail in the direction of the two Korean States we should be developing both our roles, those of the USA and China and come to firm agreement between our two countries as to what is to happen here. How to include the two Korean States in these agreements is a problem.
But what happens with our relations with China is more important than a continuing war between the two Koreas. And China must be completely assured of this, as her relations with us at this point in history are quite important too, as we have other common territorial interests to deal with.
In supporting South Korea, we are endangering China's historical sensitives as to borders and as to her sense of isolation. After all, are we beginning to develop borders with China in areas of China's interests when we support South Korea.
What would we think if China was attaining position near Alaska on islands or with island governments, if there were other government there?