When you sit back and reflect on the current events of the summer (as I’m sure you often do) what comes to mind as the most important? The oil spill in the Gulf? The New York City mosque debate? Angelina’s return to Jersey Shore? All wrong.

As Chrystia Freeland, a contributing columnist for the Washington Post, recently wrote, “When future historians look back to the summer of 2010, the event they are most likely to focus on is China’s emergence as the world’s second largest economy.”

Add this new economic ranking to the list of what China already has—the greatest population, largest standing army, most internet users—and you’ll see why the American public is beginning to question China’s rise.

In fact, a Washington Post/ABC News poll done in February asked respondents if the 21st century world affairs will be more of an American Century or more of a Chinese Century; 43 percent said a Chinese Century compared to 38 percent for an American Century. Clearly Americans sense the global power scale tipping. But that’s not all. According to a 2009 survey done by the Pew Center and the Council on Foreign Relations 53 percent of the general public said they viewed China’s emerging power as a “major threat.”

So not only does a growing portion of America think this is China’s century but also that China is a “major threat” to the United States.

Even on Jayhawk Boulevard the country’s influence is growing. Here at KU we have a surprisingly large Chinese presence—both in students and organizations.

The Lawrence Journal-World reported that in 2009 we were host to 676 Chinese students, tripling the 2006 figure.

I asked Alan Li, the president of KU’s Chinese Students and Scholars Friendship Association, for his reaction to Americans viewing China as a threat.

“I think it’s understandable for people and analysts to think that as China’s regional and worldwide influence grows with its strong economy. But I think it is highly improbable that there will be any military conflicts between the two,” Li said.

And experts agree, a military conflict is almost entirely out of the question because of our strong economic interdependence.

So without the worry of military conflict, why be afraid of China?

Sure we have pretty significant differences (take, for instance, communism versus a democracy) but that hasn’t stopped the United States before. To this day many of our most reliable allies around the world have non-democratic governments.

In fact, seeing China as a threat could hurt America’s ability to tackle a wide range of international challenges.

The U.S. and China both desire to face issues such as nuclear proliferation, climate change, and poverty. Though we might disagree on how best to solve there is some common ground. Without cooperating with China our ability to help the world falls short of its potential. As President Obama stated in a 2009 speech on China, “[I believe in] a future when our nations are partners out of necessity, but also out of opportunity.”

Try reflecting on your own attitudes towards China as you most certainly will personally encounter the country in some way as our countries become more tied at the hip. Check out an event through KU’s Confucius Institute or take a class. At the very least, there’s always Wikipedia.