A rchive Date
[ 24-11-2005 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ U.S ]
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[http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.mpl/editorial/3479157
ANOTHER VOICE
Bush and China
Los Angeles Times
Nov. 22, 2005, 8:12PM
Rarely do metaphors make themselves as readily apparent as the locked door [through which] a visibly uncomfortable George W. Bush tried to exit after speaking to reporters in Beijing on Sunday. America's relationship with China, while complicated, may be healthier than it has ever been. Still, that locked door represents the inability of the U.S. president, or of any of the global market forces he represents, to bring greater political freedoms to the world's most populous nation.
President Hu Jintao has solidified his power since assuming office in 2002. Much to the dismay of Washington, Hu has only tightened the crackdown on independent voices in Chinese society.
Prior to his arrival in China, Bush called for Beijing to accede to the "legitimate demands of its citizens for freedom and openness," and he attended a state-sanctioned church on Sunday. These were modest steps, and critics were quick to accuse the administration of downplaying calls for political freedom in order to focus on its commercial agenda.
This is a bit unfair. The relationship with China requires an ongoing engagement on three fronts — the two nations' crucial economic symbiosis, strategic imperatives such as dealing with North Korea and, yes, human rights. U.S. presidents should meet as often as possible with their Chinese counterparts without creating the expectation that each summit will deliver a breakthrough on any one front. This isn't Cold War summitry, but a meeting of the world's most important trading partners.
The economic ties between the two nations are healthier than usually acknowledged in Washington. Bush should be more forceful in explaining to the American people the mutually beneficial nature of the emerging co-dependency between China and the U.S.
Within China, the shift to a more market-oriented economy has brought people more economic freedom, and the hope remains that greater engagement with the outside world will erode the Communist Party's monopolistic hold on power.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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