Includes bibliographical references and index.

Prologue: the barbarians and the tribute system -- The development of the treaty system -- The United States as a power in East Asia -- In the light of the rising sun -- The response to Chinese nationalism -- China as an abstraction : the conflict with Japan -- Communism in China -- The great aberration -- Rapprochement : at last -- In the shadow of Tiananmen -- America in the age of Chinese power.

"America's Response to China has long been the standard resource for a succinct, historically grounded assessment of an increasingly complicated relationship. Written by one of America's leading diplomatic historians, this book analyzes the concerns and conceptions that have shaped U.S.-China policy and examines their far-reaching outcomes. Warren I. Cohen begins with the mercantile interests of the newly independent American colonies and discusses subsequent events up to the Tiananmen Square massacre and the policies of George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. For this fifth edition, Cohen adds a chapter on America in the age of potential Chinese ascendance, envisioning future partnerships and the shrinking global influence of the United States. Trenchant and insightful, America's Response to China is critically important for understanding U.S.-China relations in the twenty-first century." -- Book cover.