POINT OF VIEW

Why Obama Must Go to China

It would be a showstopper if Obama made China his first presidential trip abroad and brought top officials.

By Jeffrey E. Garten | NEWSWEEK
Published Dec 6, 2008
From the magazine issue dated Dec 15, 2008

« Return to Article

Discuss

Member Comments

  • Posted By: horsham @ 12/07/2008 3:44:32 PM

    A great leader sees what most other people don't see yet. Yes, there are a lot of negatives about China and in the US-China relations. But the trend is that China will be continuing to take an increasingly central role on the world stage. The dynamics between the U.S. and China will form a basic dimension in the international landscape of the next 50 years. International and domestic politics may fluctuate from time to time, but any responsible U.S. President needs to keep that long term perspective and strive to maximize the benefits for all parties concerned.

    Issues such as human rights need to be put into context. American policy seeking to deal with China on the negative sides will be bound to fail. At the beginning of his first term, Bill Clinton issued an ultimatum for China to change human rights practice as condition for him to renew China's "most favored nation" trade status, he painted himself in a corner and had to retract. I hope Obama does not fall into the same trap. I am not in a position to give the Obama administration concrete suggestions as what to do in its China diplomacy, what I do know is that China, just like most other nations, or individuals for that matter, would respond much better to positive and constructive gestures than to blames, scoldings, and threats.

    I do believe the Obama team missed a great opportunity when he went to Europe during the summer to demonstrate his international capacity. Instead of visiting England, France, and Germany, the countries that helped shape the international order for the past 200 years, he should have taken a bolder gesture to visit China, India, and Brazil, the countries that will likely have more significant impact to the world in the next 200 years.

    • Posted By: Demian808 @ 12/08/2008 7:16:44 AM

      One of the reasons that Clinton backed down was because he did not really have a moral leg to stand on, especially after the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. Second, profits of corporations such as Starbucks and Walmart were ultimately more important than human rights anyway. Anyways, even the light, albiet hypocritical, criticisms offered by Bush during the Olympics were flatly dismissed by the CCP, who do not react positively to any "gestures" whatsoever that might be deemed critical, both inside and outside of China. Dealing with a government such as that should not be seen in the same light as dealing with a government such as Germany's.

      What Obama seems most likely to do is restore the US's relations with its long-time allies, get our own house in order, and then deal with a country that is, as Obama has stated, "neither our enemy, nor our friend."

      MOST IMPORTANTLY however, Obama's obligation is to the people of the United States and their interests, not the interests of elites who have heretofore been the primary beneficiaries of Sino/US relations during this decade.

  • Posted By: iewgnem @ 12/06/2008 9:25:18 PM

    If Obama is any wiser he will realize the entire "human rights" rhetoric was what it was, rhetoric. The real world is much bigger than petty religious hobbies like human rights , the world economy on which all people depend on for their livelihoods needs a clear headed, rational leaders who understands what needs to be done and how to do them, and not follow ideological, irrational and downright religious ideologies.

    • Posted By: Purucker1 @ 12/07/2008 2:17:15 PM

      Rhetoric it is, especially coming from a country that has a long list of human rights abuses like the USA. If Obama should visit China at such an early date is debatable but the importance described by Mr. Garten is by no means overstated. We have to learn to live with the China Reality, bad-talking the country is only harmful to our selves and makes profitable negotiation in the future difficult.

    • Posted By: horus397 @ 12/06/2008 10:45:30 PM

      The day we abandon human rights as "rhetoric" or a "petty religious hobby" is the day a very dark chapter opens in our own lives and in human history. Human suffering is the "real world", and most of it happens because those with influence choose to pursue selfish interests in the name of "clear-headed reason" (read profit) instead of respecting others as much as oneself. The US and China should dialogue seriously about the world economy the moment Mrs. Clinton first walks into her new office. To send the President to China at the opening of his term to focus only on the economy would send a clear message to the world that totalitarian, repressive values are just part of the order of the day (values which would, by the way, prohibit this exchange of views).

  • Posted By: nocroman @ 12/07/2008 1:03:49 PM

    Ok so you've had your say, Now shut up and let our new president do his job without your prataling on what he should do or not do. Why must everyone beat theirs chests and tell others what they should do when they can't get their own lives on track. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, NO surprises and you know exactly what will and has happened. WE pay our presidents a good wage to do their job. The rest of you chest thunpers should keep your mouths shut and follow his lead. He is the leader NOT you!

  • Posted By: nocroman @ 12/07/2008 1:02:54 PM

    Ok so you've had your say, Now shut up and let our new president do his job without your prataling on what he should do or not do. Why must everyone beat theirs chests and tell others what they should do when they can't get their own lives on track. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, NO surprises and you know exactly what will and has happened. WE pay our presidents a good wage to do their job. The rest of you chest thunpers should keep your mouths shut and follow his lead. He is the leader NOT you!

  • Posted By: starry night @ 12/07/2008 12:50:01 PM

    Enter Your Comment

  • Posted By: kje514 @ 12/07/2008 10:20:37 AM

    the new president needs to clean up the huma rights abuses of the Bush administration first. And, he needs to act quickly in the Middle East and South Asia. Once he has done both of those things, then he can go to China and with a straight face tell them that it is great to have them as a trading partner but that they need to extend basic human rights to their citizens. I see this as an important role for Barack Obama to play during his presidency showing that he not only cares about US citizens but all the people.

  • Posted By: Demian808 @ 12/07/2008 8:26:21 AM

    To say that Obama should make China his first overseas visit as President is absurd. It was one of his campaign promises to restore America's moral standing in the world. Continuing Bush's conciliatory stance towards an authoritarian regime is not a step in the right direction towards keeping that promise.

  • Posted By: meigui @ 12/07/2008 6:44:31 AM

    Garten is wrong, of course. The Chinese leaders would love nothing more - America's first black President, carrying hopes of millions of Americans and others on his shoulders, goes to Beijing to pay tributes to the Middle Kingdom's rulers, begging for their help to solve the world's problems. In the process, Obama would be conceding America's defeat and acknowledging its inability to lead the way through the dark clouds that envelope the global economy (as if they have the solutions). What a great start to a (what can be) a great presidency! Change - 'Yes we can'! But it should not mean kowtowing to the unelected autocrats of Beijing.

  • Posted By: jbz7879 @ 12/07/2008 2:55:05 AM

    it will take more then a black liberal president with the image of a rock star to woo the chinese ,they are staid ,wise and very honest and not crooked and self indulgent snobs like the present day americans -

    best of luck to obama but he needs to tread carefully and avouid the iraq debacles alienating the muslim world which has brought usa to its knees and out on the streets in the dole queue

  • Posted By: neonspark @ 12/06/2008 10:22:47 PM

    Instead of increasing our depedency on this questionable nation, obama should get us out of the bad deal that has been our relation with china. millions of jobs lost, currency manipulation, market dumping, unfair trade practices by the chinese have all but devastated our economy. He should make it clear that enough is enough and that the US will not play to big business interests and we will not bow down to china for some change.

    the US should remain independant if it hopes to remain a stabilizing force for years to come. Bring back it's industrial muscle and techincal inovation as well as putting a stop to beijin's currency practices. Sure it may be painful in the short run, but a 13 trillion dollar GDP economy has enough momentum to bring itself back into a path for self growth as supposed to fuel other nation's growth at the expense of our own.

  • Posted By: jtfenby @ 12/06/2008 8:05:24 PM

    Why Obama and Hu should meet
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/04/china-usa

  • Posted By: jtfenby @ 12/06/2008 8:04:56 PM

    Why Obama and Hu should meet.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/04/china-

  • Posted By: horus397 @ 12/06/2008 6:39:33 PM

    I don't think the President should go to China as Professor Garten suggests. Sending Mrs. Clinton very early on could help open strong lines of communication, but only if issues of human rights are in the forefront of the discussion, including a just and lasting resolution of the Tibet question. The US and China clearly need each other badly, but we must not sacrifice anyone's human rights for the sake of a pleasant, profitable relationship, nor should we reward economic threats tied to relations with the Dalai Lama. President Obama going to China in the first month of his Presidency smacks of appeasement.

  • Posted By: drjmizzo @ 12/06/2008 4:19:56 PM

    Paulson visiting China twice per year??? This ia holiday travel. If anyone wahts more than a modest increase of attention from the Chinese than people such as Paulsen needs to be traveling lot more-six to eight times per year may get their attention.

  • Posted By: drjmizzo @ 12/06/2008 4:16:30 PM

    Paulson going to China twicea year?? This amounts to holiday visits. Nothing would be accomplished with the Chinese if the top people only visit 2x per year. It is no wonder progress was "modest".

Reply

Report Abuse

Enter comments if any for reporting abuse