CNN.com - China seeks clues to U.S. policy - Nov 15, 2005
CNN.com - China seeks clues to U.S. policy - Nov 15, 2005
China seeks clues to U.S. policy
Growing dependence, rivalry stir 'complicated' relations
BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- George W. Bush visits China this week for the third time as U.S. president, but Beijing awaits him with some of the uncertainty of a first-time visit, wondering whether he will bring goodwill or grievances.
Chinese President Hu Jintao, whose first visit to Washington in September was cancelled because of Hurricane Katrina, will be anxious to gauge U.S. policy toward China for the rest of Bush's second term, Chinese observers said on Tuesday.
"China is a rising power, so we can hardly curb all tensions with the United States," said Zhu Feng, an expert on Sino-U.S. relations at Peking University.
"Our relationship is destined to be touchy and neither side will trust its counterpart fully, but Bush's visit will be an important opportunity for communication," he said.
Bush arrives on Saturday for a two-day visit to discuss topics including human rights and religious policy, the two countries' trade gap, North Korea's nuclear weapons and bird flu.
Behind these talking points will be the broader question of how Washington regards China's growing economic, diplomatic and military influence.
China is the second-biggest U.S. trade partner, trailing only Canada, and shipped goods worth $176 billion to the United States in the first nine months of this year. Beijing also played a crucial role in brokering initial compromise between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea's nuclear activities.
This expanding economic and diplomatic reach makes China a force for regional stability, say Chinese officials.
Xiong Guangkai, a senior Chinese military official, said in a speech on Monday that China hoped to receive firmer recognition of its regional role during Bush's visit.hu.germany.apChina aims to "form a consensus to share in protecting the security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region and encouraging regional prosperity and development", Xiong said of the meeting.
But analysts said rivalry and suspicion on both sides were limiting co-operation between the two powers.
The yawning bilateral trade gap -- likely to stretch to over $200 billion this year -- has fueled complaints in Washington that Beijing's currency policies and lax protection of intellectual property give China an unfair trade advantage.
China has sought to ease these tensions with a series of concessions. In July it revalued the yuan by 2.1 percent and slightly relaxed the currency's peg to the dollar, while last week officials signed a compromise deal restricting Chinese textile exports to the United States.
"China is not deliberately seeking a major surplus in trade with the United States," Commerce Minister Bo Xilai told U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman in Beijing on Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Bush would urge China to move more quickly towards a "market-based currency", U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters.
Worries over 'antagonistic' relationship
Yet even without trade friction, China's growing international presence and Bush's promotion of a "freedom agenda" for Asia are fueling claims that Washington is seeking to curb Beijing's influence and subvert the ruling Communist Party.
"There is a deep strain of thought in China that worries, ultimately, our relationship will be antagonistic," said Kenneth Lieberthal, a former White House adviser on China and now a professor at the University of Michigan.
Chinese officials say Washington is seeking to undercut China by forging closer security ties with Japan and Taiwan. (Full story)
Chinese authorities also cite U.S. support for pro-democracy uprisings in Central Asia. A former Chinese ambassador to Washington, Li Daoyu, said the United States was using China as a scapegoat to bolster its regional presence.
Bush also is likely to joust with China over the two sides' stances on human rights, especially religion. Bush is scheduled to worship in a church while in Beijing, and Hadley said Bush would tell Hu that "greater individual freedom to worship, to speak and to pursue prosperity will strengthen his country".
China said on Tuesday it was willing to discuss human rights and religious freedom. "But we absolutely oppose using human rights issues to pressure other countries and interfere in domestic affairs," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters.
In an interview last week on Phoenix Television, a Hong Kong-based service that broadcasts into mainland China, Bush was asked whether he regarded China as a threat, a partner, a competitor or an opportunity.
Bush gave no direct answer, saying: "All the different adjectives I guess kind of express a complicated relationship."
Bush arrived in Japan on Tuesday at the start of an Asian tour which will also take in South Korea and Mongolia.
Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Find this article at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/11/15/china.usa.reut/index.html
China seeks clues to U.S. policy
Growing dependence, rivalry stir 'complicated' relations
BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- George W. Bush visits China this week for the third time as U.S. president, but Beijing awaits him with some of the uncertainty of a first-time visit, wondering whether he will bring goodwill or grievances.
Chinese President Hu Jintao, whose first visit to Washington in September was cancelled because of Hurricane Katrina, will be anxious to gauge U.S. policy toward China for the rest of Bush's second term, Chinese observers said on Tuesday.
"China is a rising power, so we can hardly curb all tensions with the United States," said Zhu Feng, an expert on Sino-U.S. relations at Peking University.
"Our relationship is destined to be touchy and neither side will trust its counterpart fully, but Bush's visit will be an important opportunity for communication," he said.
Bush arrives on Saturday for a two-day visit to discuss topics including human rights and religious policy, the two countries' trade gap, North Korea's nuclear weapons and bird flu.
Behind these talking points will be the broader question of how Washington regards China's growing economic, diplomatic and military influence.
China is the second-biggest U.S. trade partner, trailing only Canada, and shipped goods worth $176 billion to the United States in the first nine months of this year. Beijing also played a crucial role in brokering initial compromise between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea's nuclear activities.
This expanding economic and diplomatic reach makes China a force for regional stability, say Chinese officials.
Xiong Guangkai, a senior Chinese military official, said in a speech on Monday that China hoped to receive firmer recognition of its regional role during Bush's visit.hu.germany.apChina aims to "form a consensus to share in protecting the security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region and encouraging regional prosperity and development", Xiong said of the meeting.
But analysts said rivalry and suspicion on both sides were limiting co-operation between the two powers.
The yawning bilateral trade gap -- likely to stretch to over $200 billion this year -- has fueled complaints in Washington that Beijing's currency policies and lax protection of intellectual property give China an unfair trade advantage.
China has sought to ease these tensions with a series of concessions. In July it revalued the yuan by 2.1 percent and slightly relaxed the currency's peg to the dollar, while last week officials signed a compromise deal restricting Chinese textile exports to the United States.
"China is not deliberately seeking a major surplus in trade with the United States," Commerce Minister Bo Xilai told U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman in Beijing on Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Bush would urge China to move more quickly towards a "market-based currency", U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters.
Worries over 'antagonistic' relationship
Yet even without trade friction, China's growing international presence and Bush's promotion of a "freedom agenda" for Asia are fueling claims that Washington is seeking to curb Beijing's influence and subvert the ruling Communist Party.
"There is a deep strain of thought in China that worries, ultimately, our relationship will be antagonistic," said Kenneth Lieberthal, a former White House adviser on China and now a professor at the University of Michigan.
Chinese officials say Washington is seeking to undercut China by forging closer security ties with Japan and Taiwan. (Full story)
Chinese authorities also cite U.S. support for pro-democracy uprisings in Central Asia. A former Chinese ambassador to Washington, Li Daoyu, said the United States was using China as a scapegoat to bolster its regional presence.
Bush also is likely to joust with China over the two sides' stances on human rights, especially religion. Bush is scheduled to worship in a church while in Beijing, and Hadley said Bush would tell Hu that "greater individual freedom to worship, to speak and to pursue prosperity will strengthen his country".
China said on Tuesday it was willing to discuss human rights and religious freedom. "But we absolutely oppose using human rights issues to pressure other countries and interfere in domestic affairs," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters.
In an interview last week on Phoenix Television, a Hong Kong-based service that broadcasts into mainland China, Bush was asked whether he regarded China as a threat, a partner, a competitor or an opportunity.
Bush gave no direct answer, saying: "All the different adjectives I guess kind of express a complicated relationship."
Bush arrived in Japan on Tuesday at the start of an Asian tour which will also take in South Korea and Mongolia.
Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Find this article at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/11/15/china.usa.reut/index.html
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