It's Not In America's Interest to Get into War with China

70 years ago, the United States got into the Korean War, which she would rather forget, then 50 years ago a bloody Vietnam War, which haunted her for years. 

Now America seems poised to get involved in another war in that part of the world again - this time with China. 

Some paint the potential war with China as one between good and evil, democracy vs autocracy, freedom vs communism etc.

Didn't we hear the same rhetoric when the U.S. got into Korea and Vietnam? Americans were told that their sons and daughters had to fight and die in Asia because America had a God-given duty to halt the spread of the evil communism.

Which turned out to be lies. When the Koreans and the Vietnamese fought each other, they were, more than anything else, fighting for national unification - America simply got in the way, which is why American involvement seemed both unnecessary and tragic.

As a Chinese American, I can hear too frequently some sinister noises in America when it comes to China. To some Americans, Chinese people are either "chinks," "commies," or spies or thieves. 

If the United States gets into a war with China because of its prejudice, intentional or unintentional, against the Asian nation, it will not only be tragic but put this nation on the wrong side of history.

With one fourth of China's population, can the United States remain forever the sole superpower of the world?  Can the average American be four times smarter or more capable than the average Chinese, and remain so indefinitely?

Indeed, starting from China, many other countries, such as India or Indonesia, may one day have bigger economies or even more influences in the world than the United States. These are all non-Western countries whose customs and values differ from us. America, get used to it.

I hope to God that there will never be a war between China and Taiwan - with or without American participation. But make no mistake, should a war break out there, it will be a war more about Chinese nationalism than anything else, similar to what happened in Korea and Vietnam.  

If the United States gets involved this time, history will repeat itself yet again - most likely in far bloodier fashions. This cannot be a good thing for America, China or the world as a whole.