On balance, the rise of China is beneficial to the interests of the United States.

As previously stated, I am in firm negation to the resolution. Observation One: Definitions: I offer the following definitions for clarification during this round. Rise: move from a lower position to a higher one Beneficial: favorable or advantageous I reserve the right to define any other terms throughout this round. Observation Two: Framework: (Cost to Benefit) The team that can provide either the most benefit or harm relating to their side should win this round. For the Pro to win, they must show the most and greatest benefit of the rise of China. For the Con to win, they must show the most and greatest harm of the rise of China. Contention One: China is a major cyber warfare threat.According to an article released by the Los Angeles Times, "In November 2011, the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive issued a report on cyber-spying that said Chinese entities "are the worlds most active and persistent perpetrators of economic espionage. Chinese attempts to collect U.S. technological and economic information will continue at a high level and will represent a growing and persistent threat to U.S. economic security" According to an article titled "The top ten cyber attacks (that we know of)" published by foreign policy magazine, China has released several different cyber attacks on the United States, including, but not limited to attacking: military labs and NASA by stealing information, The department of Commerce, forcing the bureau to throw out all of its computers, paralyzing the department for more than a month Attacking the Naval War College of Rhode Island, forcing it to go offline for weeks in 2006 John McCain and Barack Obama in 2008, forcing them and their senior staff to get new laptops and blackberrys. and Stealing ideas from Lockheed Martins F- 35, the most advanced airplane ever designed. These are just a few of many examples of China being a threat to the US. Contention Two: China threatens the US's hegemony, along with its military and economic capability. According to an article by Robert S. Ross, titled "Here be dragons," "The ultimate yardstick of national power is military capability." According to Eric A. Posner, a professor at University of Chicago, "China has experienced remarkable economic growth over the last quarter century. Since 1978, China"s gross domestic product has grown 9.4 percent per year; in a good year, the US economy might grow 4 percent. By 2050, at the latest, China"s economy is expected to surpass the size of the US economy. Increases in military spending have paralleled China"s economic rise. The Department of Defense estimates that current Chinese military expenditures amount to roughly $90 billion--the third largest in the world after the US and Russia. As China uses its economic gains to modernize its armed forces, the US can no longer be sure that its current military advantage in the region will continue." While China's military is growing, the United States military is shrinking. Not only that, but China's rise is a direct threat to the US hegemony. Moreover, China"s "armed forces continue to develop and field disruptive military technologies, including those for anti-access/area-denial, as well as for nuclear, space, and cyber warfare, that are changing regional military balances and that have implications beyond the Asia-Pacific region." (CATO institute) The CATO institute states "China has or is acquiring the ability to: Hold large surface ships " including aircraft carriers " at risk (via quiet submarines, advanced anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), wire-guided and wake-homing torpedoes, or anti-ship ballistic missiles) Deny the use of shore-based airfields, secure bastions and regional logistics hubs (via conventional ballistic missiles with greater ranges and accuracy, and land attack cruise missiles) Hold aircraft at risk over or near Chinese territory or forces (via imported and domestic fourth generation aircraft, advanced long-range surface-to-air missile systems, air surveillance systems and ship-borne air defense) Washington has vital interests to protect, but not all of its interests are vital. Defending American territory, liberties, and people at home is vital; ensuring dominant American influence half a world away is not. And doing the latter at acceptable cost will grow ever more difficult. By spending a fraction of the United States" defense budget, Beijing is constructing a military able to deter U.S. intervention against China. To overcome this force Washington will have to spend far more " money which it does not have." Contention Three: China is the Chief thief of US intellectual property. According to an article titled "China's trade barrier playbook: why America needs a new game plan," published in The Bernard L. Schwartz Initiative American Economic Policy, "Chinese firms and individuals frequently ignore patents and other legal guarantees, or even steal trade secrets outright. By illegally taking our ideas and our technology, China undermines our biggest advantage in trade. Business groups estimate that 99% of China"s music and 78% of its personal computer software is pirated. According to China"s own estimates, between 15 to 20% of the products made in China are counterfeits. Over three-quarters of the counterfeited and pirated goods seized by U.S. customs in 2010 originated in China or Hong Kong. The USITC estimates that, if China protected IP at levels comparable to the United States, U.S. exports and affiliate sales to China would increase by $107 billion and the U.S. economy would add some 2.1 million jobs" By China not acting on this issue, they are giving tech thieves a shield.