China Sample the China Fallacy Provides an

China Sample The China Fallacy provides an interesting perspective between American perception and that of economic reality. The book illustrates, how in many instances, a disconnect between truth and reality has the potential to create unnecessary conflicts between parties. The China Fallacy is no different in this regard. Within the book, the author Donald Gross illustrates how the notions of security, economic turmoil, and political instability are skewed within the general public.

Gross also illustrates that it is in the best interest of the United States to allow China to prosper and flourish. This prosperity, Gross argues, will ultimately lead to an optimal relationship between the two countries, abating many of the negative influences that plague them. Gross, in his book provides solutions to abate the influences that society deems important to U.S.- China relations while also providing means to expand the overall relationship in a sustainable manner.

Through his literature, Gross hopes to avoid another Cold War, while also contributing to prosperous relationship between the United States and China. To begin, the first fallacy mentioned in detail within the book is that of military threat China posses to the United States. The media in particular has used puffery to overplay the threat of military action. Conflicts between China and Japan within the south sea only exacerbate this assumption.

Due primarily to the overall size and geographic location of China, the general public believes that the nation can harness untapped military might. Gross however dispels this notion by providing actual figures of military armaments of both nations. Below is a chart summarizing his figures.

Item United States China Warhead ICBM missiles 65 Land Missiles with the ability to actually hit the opposing nation 51 Battle groups 11 1 (Only 1 refurbished aircraft carrier) These numbers do not include the extensive amounts of drones, missiles, aircraft, and submarines that America has as compared to that of China. Gross goes on to explain that much of America's fear pertains to hypothetical situations that may or may not occur. As the statistics indicate, these fears are unlikely to materialize currently.

However, if American society continues to have a protectionist attitude towards China, Gross argues that this alone could exacerbate military conflict. China, realizing that America anticipates conflict, will retaliate by modernizing its fleet. This action-reaction dynamic will ultimately create even more unrest and animosity between U.S. And China relations. The actions by both sides will encourage war, as the modernization of fleets and military power will create conflict and mistrust.

Gross, therefore argues that having open relations with China will be more beneficial than the protectionist attitude in which the Obama Administration is taking towards China. Currently, China does not have the military power to overtake America. However, if America continues its mistrust of China, it will ultimately lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy in which China modernizes its systems for war capabilities. The books also explains China's role in regards to cyber security.

Cyber terrorism is extremely dangerous as it is first difficult to detect and second, it can come from anywhere. Now, as China develops and becomes a national superpower the likelihood of a potential attack increases exponentially. One form of cyber crime of particular importance is that of financial fraud. This type of attach has a direct impact on the economy of the target nation.

As we have seen with September 11th and other terrorist attacks the best method in which to attack a developed nation such as the United States is through its economy. As such financial terrorism of fraud is the integral piece in which to accomplish this. As Gross indicates, many of America's largest and most established companies are not exempt from this form of style manipulation. In today's fast paced information age, fraudulent activities are now becoming more difficult to detect, and even more difficult to prove.

The first major piece of literature pertinent to this discussion focuses on why China has the ability to commit acts of cyber crime. First, China has grown tremendously in regards to general internet use. Its first internet connection was established over 15 years ago (CIA, 2010). Since then, internet users have exploded to nearly 300 million, which is leading the world. Inevitably, the first cybercrime in China occurred in the mid-1980 as the Chinese banking system was hacked.

A major reason for the attacks occurrence was lax laws regarding cybercrime which are still apparent today. A deterrent to cybercrime is that of very loose intellectual property rights within China. This fact is further compounded by the court system in China, which is not a stringent as it should be in regards to cybercrime. China's lax attitude toward intellectual property, allows its over 300 million users to simply steal secured and proprietary information without fear of reprimand.

By stealing such technology, China is cultivating an atmosphere of cybercrime within own borders. Chinese, can steal hacking software, disks with viruses uploaded on them, and many more egregious acts that pose a significant threat to the security of the U.S. Further, by having access to these stolen software programs, the Chinese can better optimize the software to become more potent which can be used to attack the United States. Gross argues that mutual threat reduction agreements can abate the influence of cyber security on U.S. corporations.

In addition, a more robust and shared database could also lead to more information sharing on the part of both countries. It will be therefore easier to pinpoint fraudulent activities. The second fallacy that Gross mentions in his book pertains to economic instability. America's believe that Chinese growth is occurring at the expense of the United States. However, upon further review, the exact opposite is occurring. China is the 3rd largest export market for American made goods.

More dollars in regards to foreign direct investment flow into China than any other country in the world. In addition, a very large percentage of American company revenue is generated in China and Asian markets. Once again, Gross admonishes the protectionist attitude society is.