US unrolls the red carpet for Hu visit
Source: Agencies |
January 17, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
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CHINESE President Hu Jintao is being feted in Washington this week with a lavish state banquet at the White House and other pomp usually reserved for close friends and allies.
It's all intended to improve the tone of relations between a risen, more prosperous China and the United States superpower in a tenuous economic recovery.
The US is one of China's biggest markets, with US$380 billion in annual trade. Washington increasingly needs Beijing's help in managing world troubles, from piracy off Africa to Iran's nuclear program and reinvigorating the world economy.
"It is absolutely critical for the two sides to be setting a tone that says 'hang on a second, we are committed to an effective, positive relationship,'" said Center for Strategic and International Studies scholar Charles Freeman, a former trade negotiator in the George W. Bush administration.
The state banquet US President Barack Obama is hosting will be Hu's first. In the days before his visit, senior officials from both countries have spoken publicly in favor of better ties.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a speech last Friday that the countries needed to manage their conflicts but their shared interests were so entwined as to constitute entanglement.
"History teaches us that the rise of new powers often ushers in periods of conflict and uncertainty," Clinton said. "Indeed, on both sides of the Pacific, we do see trepidation about the rise of China and the future of the US-China relationship. We both have much more to gain from cooperation than from conflict."
Chinese officials have emphasized what they see as common concerns while acknowledging the complexity of the relationship.
"When the relationship is strained we need to bear in mind the larger picture and not allow any individual issue to disrupt our overall cooperation," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said.
Hu, whose four-day trip starts tomorrow, is expected to talk up China's intended peaceful rise in a speech to business leaders and opinion-makers in Washington on Thursday and to highlight the benefits of China's market and investment when visiting Chicago.
A highlight of the visit will be Wednesday's state banquet. Former President George W. Bush thought state banquets should be reserved for allies and like-minded powers and instead gave Hu a lunch during his trip to the White House in 2006.
In this visit, no major agreements are expected. But there is shared recognition of a need to put things right.
The China-US relationship has experienced twists and turns. Disagreements linger on in issues including US arms sales to Taiwan, the exchange rates of China's yuan, human rights and religion.
Still more difficult will be stopping the larger drift in relations amid the countries' changing fortunes.
While the US is weighted down by high unemployment, massive budget deficits and sluggish growth, China has roared ahead, with the economy expanding 9.6 percent in the third quarter of last year.
China now holds the world's largest foreign currency reserves at US$2.85 trillion and a major chunk of US government debt.
Economists estimate China will overtake the US as the world's largest economy within 20 years, and possibly by the end of the current decade.
It's all intended to improve the tone of relations between a risen, more prosperous China and the United States superpower in a tenuous economic recovery.
The US is one of China's biggest markets, with US$380 billion in annual trade. Washington increasingly needs Beijing's help in managing world troubles, from piracy off Africa to Iran's nuclear program and reinvigorating the world economy.
"It is absolutely critical for the two sides to be setting a tone that says 'hang on a second, we are committed to an effective, positive relationship,'" said Center for Strategic and International Studies scholar Charles Freeman, a former trade negotiator in the George W. Bush administration.
The state banquet US President Barack Obama is hosting will be Hu's first. In the days before his visit, senior officials from both countries have spoken publicly in favor of better ties.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a speech last Friday that the countries needed to manage their conflicts but their shared interests were so entwined as to constitute entanglement.
"History teaches us that the rise of new powers often ushers in periods of conflict and uncertainty," Clinton said. "Indeed, on both sides of the Pacific, we do see trepidation about the rise of China and the future of the US-China relationship. We both have much more to gain from cooperation than from conflict."
Chinese officials have emphasized what they see as common concerns while acknowledging the complexity of the relationship.
"When the relationship is strained we need to bear in mind the larger picture and not allow any individual issue to disrupt our overall cooperation," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said.
Hu, whose four-day trip starts tomorrow, is expected to talk up China's intended peaceful rise in a speech to business leaders and opinion-makers in Washington on Thursday and to highlight the benefits of China's market and investment when visiting Chicago.
A highlight of the visit will be Wednesday's state banquet. Former President George W. Bush thought state banquets should be reserved for allies and like-minded powers and instead gave Hu a lunch during his trip to the White House in 2006.
In this visit, no major agreements are expected. But there is shared recognition of a need to put things right.
The China-US relationship has experienced twists and turns. Disagreements linger on in issues including US arms sales to Taiwan, the exchange rates of China's yuan, human rights and religion.
Still more difficult will be stopping the larger drift in relations amid the countries' changing fortunes.
While the US is weighted down by high unemployment, massive budget deficits and sluggish growth, China has roared ahead, with the economy expanding 9.6 percent in the third quarter of last year.
China now holds the world's largest foreign currency reserves at US$2.85 trillion and a major chunk of US government debt.
Economists estimate China will overtake the US as the world's largest economy within 20 years, and possibly by the end of the current decade.
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