ABSTRACT
The conclusion of American Political Discourse on China assesses the continued power and relevance of yellow peril and red menace memory frames. I assert that the four tropes of China as a political, economic, moral, and military threat continue to be used to designate China as a red peril by examining U.S. media and political discourse during the 2016 presidential campaign. I argue the continual deployment and continued resonance of yellow peril and red menace characterizations point to the fact that U.S. media outlets and political leaders still do not have an effective language with which to discuss the challenges embedded in U.S.-Sino relations and the commitments that necessitate continued engagement between the nations. The previous chapter concerning cyber espionage illustrates fractures in this discourse. However, the Chinese red peril continues to haunt U.S. discursive representations of China and U.S.-Sino relations. The memory frames of China as a yellow peril and red menace continue to constrain rhetoric surrounding contemporary U.S.-Sino relations in important ways.
