According to the 2008 U.S. National Security Strategy signed by American Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, China is seen by American officials as one of the United States most major strategic and economic partners.

The strategy calls for increased collaboration with China; however, it also clearly states that the United States still regards China as the major economic and geopolitical rival. Although the current military doctrine is controversial, it can be seen as a positive sign in building up American-Chinese collaboration.

Previously, some American military leaders and politicians were reluctant to admit the so-called “peaceful” development of China because of its history global disputes and human rights violations. Moreover, the United States has included China in the list of the major American opponents such as North Korea, Venezuela and even Al-Qaida.

Now President Barack Obama is trying to establish close economic and political ties with China. Yet some journalists regard this trend as a threat to the U.S. economy and, moreover, to the very foundation of democracy.

For example, James R. Barth, a scholar in Finance for Auburn University, explained that American markets are overflowing with Chinese goods that are competing for American ones. That is one major reason why the United States should not ignore the Chinese economy.

“Everything I’m wearing is made in China. We have to be sensible about this. If Chinese cloth is cheap, convenient and of good quality, I will buy it. I don’t care that it was made in China. Demand is what we have to take into account” he said.

Former National Public Radio journalist Gregory Feifer believes that the mutual distrust between the United States and China might cause a huge problem for both because “Chinese and American economies function almost as one.”

Many products come to the United States chiefly from China and this helps to prop up the American economy which is heavily invested in it. Feifer claims that because of this symbiotic system, “both sides are interested in keeping their relationship going.”

The image of China created by the journalists from the major U.S. newspapers is controversial.  While “The Washington post” generally describes China as a dangerous competitor, journalists from “The New York Times” and “The Los Angeles times” see this emerging power as a partner.  All of those media outlets, however, are critical of China in regard to human rights abuses, political censorship, corruption, and  policies aimed at Taiwan and Tibet.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics has caused a significant shift in American-Chinese relations and softened the image of China in the minds of some Americans. At the same time, the Olympic Games brought about some uncertainty among journalistic communities.

For example, Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist for the “The New York times,” said that he is “a great fan of China’s achievements” and he has “often defended Beijing from unfair protectionist rhetoric spouted by American politicians, because China deserves an international celebration to mark its historic re-emergence as a major power.” He cautions, though, that “so long as China insists on providing arms to sustain a slaughter [in Darfur, in Sudan] based on tribe and skin color, this will remain, sadly, The Genocide Olympics.”

“Los Angeles Times” reporter Ian Buruma suggests that the Olympic Games “will almost certainly bolster China's global prestige.” He appreciates Chinese achievements, but also takes into account the drawbacks and the danger an authoritarian regime poses to democratic values.

“The Washington Post” regards the 2008 Olympics as a serious threat to liberal democracy in general and the United States, specifically. John Pomfret, a blogger for the “Post” and vocal opponent of the Chinese Communist party, is deeply concerned with the current economic and political growth of China. He see the Olympics as a “clash of Civilizations,” a great competition of two political systems.

Harold Meyerson, another “Post” columnist, compares the Beijing Olympics with the Russian invasion into Georgia and regards the Olympic ceremony as a great challenge for democratic values Meyerson.

“The summer of '08, historians will most likely tell us, signaled the rise of a multi-power, non-Western-dominated planet. It also was the time when it became clear that the control America exhibited in the global arena in the twentieth century would not lap over into the 21^st,” Meyerson said.

Has the image of China changed in the minds of Americans since the 2008 Olympics? Yes, indeed. On the one hand, more Americans have begun studying Chinese culture, custom and cinema, according to Lisa Liao, a Chinese-American and a U.S. Embassy officer. On the other hand, according to Feifer, the Olympics have caused an increase of anti-Chinese sentiment within the United States due in large part to how the American media portrayed China during the Olympics.

It remains to be seen whether or not any significant shifts in attitudes toward China will occur as result of President Obama’s push for an increase in Chinese-American collaboration.

Eric Rubin, Deputy Chief of the U.S. Mission in Moscow and a former reporter at the “New York Times,” explained “The U.S.-Chinese relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world.  Together, the U.S. and China account for about 30 percent of the world’s GDP.” He added that “the Obama Administration’s approach to China has a simple premise:  it is essential that the United States and China have a positive, cooperative relationship.”