"China is becoming more powerful because of its increasing wealth and use thereof to secure more influence in Asia, which goes against American interests. The Trump Administration seems to want to resist China, possibly leading to dangerous conflicts," or so the American sociologist Richard Madsen argued at the University of Navarra as part of a course he taught to students from the Master of Social Science Research, an academic program that the Institute Culture and Society (ICS) coordinates.

Madsen, a doctoral fellow at Harvard University and Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of California-San Diego (USA), is an expert in American and Chinese culture and both countries’ international relations, as well as the phenomenon of individualism.

In his view, said tension has the potential to affect the rest of the world: "China has wide commercial influence and can use Europe against the United States. Imagine that– as Trump has said— the Unites States blocks Chinese imports. China could simply buy Airbus aircraft from a European company instead of from Boeing, which would result in the loss of millions of dollars and many jobs, possible creating tensions between America and Europe."

Changes in relations between China, Russia and the United States

On the other hand, Madsen warned that the relationship between China, Russia and the United States could change. "The United States used China as a balance against Russia and now China will likely collaborate at times with Russia. In turn, it seems that Trump is sympathetic towards Putin," he noted.

Professor Madsen added in his session at ICS that, "there is a lot to be gained with a positive relationship, but there are numerous tensions on both sides, which may be a result of the fact that their cultural contradictions have not been fully addressed." In this sense, he pointed out that, "China has become a relatively rich country and its culture cannot be ignored."

Richard Madsen is one of the international professors for the Master of Social Science Research during the 2016-2017 academic year. Additional international professors include Emanuela Mora, an Italian sociologist and professor at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Margaret Archer, professor of sociology at the University of Warwick (UK), and Laura Bovone, from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Italy), among others.

• Read the full interview on the ICS blog