The Chinese balloon is an example of why the relations between China and the US are so strained

There has been a recent balloon incident between the 2 nations that has gone international and is receiving a lot of attention. Many people are now aware that there are tensions between China and the US, but few are aware of why. There is a lot of misinformation about China in social media, so I'm Chinese and live in China, I can tell you exactly why US-China relations are strained. <br><br>I want to say first of all, why the US-China tensions are on the rise is multifaceted and controversial. I don't plan to list out reasons why the US is wrong and why China is right, or vice versa. The reasons I give below are undeniable historical facts that are widely known in China.<br><br>1. The Korea War. China sees the Korean War as the start of US-China tensions. There is a lot of anti-US sentiment in the Chinese population because of the war. In China, we are taught that Korea asked for help from China and China provided help, because if Korea fell to the US, China would be next. We in China also saw the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we wanted no part in that. The war ended with a stalemate, with both sides ultimately losing nothing, because they were left exactly how they were before the war. In that context, China sees the war as the US trying to forcefully conquer China, but ultimately being defeated by China's determination. This war is still a topic of discussion today in politics and the media in China.<br><br>2. The Taiwan issue. Why does China care about Taiwan? In brief, Taiwan was originally discovered by the Portuguese. Later it came under Dutch rule. In 1662, Taiwan became part of the Chinese Ming Dynasty. Taiwan was a part of China back then. In 1895, Taiwan was ceded to Japan, who colonized it for 50 years, until the end of WWII, when Taiwan was handed back to China. Later, because of the Chinese Civil War, the Kuomintang had to flee to Taiwan, and the Communist Party took over the mainland. That's how Taiwan was formally separated from the mainland. China has always insisted that Taiwan is a part of China. The One Country, Two Systems policy was proposed to Taiwan in 1992. But Taiwan ultimately rejected the proposal, because Taiwan wants formal independence. China insists that Taiwan cannot be formally independent. The US, although insisting that they recognize that Taiwan is a part of China and do not support Taiwanese independence, have been secretly selling weapons to Taiwan for decades and have military stationed in Taiwan. China naturally does not approve of this, and sees the US as supporting Taiwanese separatists, and interfere with China's legitimate internal affairs.<br><br>3. The Opium Wars. What you may or may not know about the Opium Wars is that it was actually started by the British selling large quantities of Opium to China. China was rightfully fed up with a large amount of their citizens dying from drug addiction, so the Chinese government confiscated the Opium and destroyed it, and banned British merchants from China. The British, not wanting to lose a massive market, declared war on China, hoping to bully China into accepting their ban. The US joined the war. China lost the war and had to sign a humiliating treaty that gave Hong Kong to the British, and forced China to open up trade with the US and Britain. China sees the Opium Wars as the beginning of China's "Century of Humiliation", where China was repeatedly conquered and invaded by foreign powers, and ultimately lost a lot of territory to them. The US today insists that they were simply defending their right to free trade, but the Chinese see it as the US and Britain bullying and humiliating China.<br><br>4. The US has been actively trying to create unrest in China, particularly in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. China has been actively hunting down terrorists in Xinjiang, and has been putting them in reeducation camps. The US has been criticizing China for this, saying that China is engaging in genocide against the Uyghurs. The reason why China is doing this is because the east part of Xinjiang is where Uyghur separatists are more active. In 2008, Uyghur terrorists committed the Kunming Train Station Attack. This incident was widely reported in China, and was a massive topic of discussion for weeks. Why the US is aiding Uyghur terrorists in Xinjiang, China has no idea. But China believes that the US is doing this to create unrest in China, to destabilize China.<br><br>5. The US has been repeatedly trying to spread "democracy" in China. China constantly sees the US trying to undermine and destabilize China through various means, often through peaceful means like spreading "democracy", or more aggressive means like supporting unrest and terrorism. China also sees the US trying to isolate China diplomatically and economically, by starting trade wars and slapping on sanctions left and right. In 2019, the Chinese People celebrated the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the PRC. This was a massive event in China. China showed off their brand new DF-41 ICBM as part of the celebration. The DF-41 is now considered the world's strongest missile, able to strike anywhere in the world. In China, we consider the DF-41 the best deterrent against the US and other foreign aggression against China. China doesn't want to fight a war, but if they are forced to, China is prepared to do so without hesitation.