Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and leader in waiting continued his friendlier face of China tour Wednesday and Thursday, delivering a much awaited policy speech in Washington before heading to Muscatine in Iowa, where he visited as a Communist Party official way back in 1985.
The Iowa visit underscores Chinese efforts to present the prospect of a non-threatening future for Sino-U.S. ties, and certainly having visited the United States five times and with a daughter at Harvard, Xi offers the prospect at least of tackling difficulties more smoothly.
But despite the generally good natured visit, his speech at the Marriott underscored some of the tensions that still exist in the bilateral relationship – tensions that won’t be going away whoever is in charge in Beijing and Washington.
For a start, Xi urged the United States to respect China’s “core interests,” a phrase that has been heard with increasing frequency over thorny issues ranging from Tibet to the South China Sea. Indeed, Xi said the U.S. should oppose those who back independence for Tibet and Taiwan.
The speech came a day after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden offered a list of U.S. complaints about China, but as the New York Times noted, both men were likely playing in part to a domestic audience. The Obama administration is keen to hammer home its message of demanding fair play for a U.S. economy – and by extension U.S. workers/voters – that is finally showing signs of a recovery. Xi, meanwhile, is likely determined to demonstrate that the Communist Party will have no truck with those seeking to break up the country.
Still, Xi also called for deeper “strategic trust” between the U.S. and China, something that Ernest Bower, senior adviser and director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, suggests may be more likely under Xi.
In a briefing released today, Bower notes reports that Xi is a more charismatic leader than Hu Jintao and suggests that Xi’s trip could “set the foundation for the United States and China to begin to understand one another better.”
The U.S. must “convince China that it can grow, prosper, and answer existential questions such as how to manage its energy, food, and water security for the coming decades, the United States decided to join other Asia-Pacific countries in developing regional security and economic frameworks that will encourage China to use its seat at the table to make rules along with others, and to implement and live by those guidelines,” Bower writes.
It’s good advice.
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Frankie Fook-lun Leung
From my own observation, the reception Xi received was not exactly cordial. First, President Obama had no smile throughout his meeting. He was not shown walking his guest in or out of his office, sitting there and was engaged in a long monologue, punctuated by frowns. John McCain openly criticised XI for China’s treatment of dissidents, Tibetans and the monetary policy. Congress majority leader gave Xi a letter of protest. Even Joe Biden and Hilary Clinton’s respective speeches had many unfavourable comments. Cumulatively speaking the collective language, vocal and body of these US leaders could not be considered appropriate and friendly to a guest. Of course, there was formality like firing the cannons etc. However, one should look at the subtle and not so subtle signs.
Linh Viet
The US leadership team was well advised (by an American team on China’s experts & CIA)on what to do, what to behave and what say when Xi arrived.
The messages from a colective to Chinese visitors was loud and clear. Xi should understand clearly what the US wants and how it feels about China CCP.
Khalid Arab
The sand dune has two sides. Why always talking only from American’s interest? Disgusting, the way the argument goes. And why has my comments been deleted? Why only pro American dogs’ comments are allowed. Answer me this, “great ones”?
John Chan
@Linh Viet,
It seems you do not know USA very well.
USA is not a democratic society, and it never intends to be one. USA is a polyarchy. Republican and Democrat are essentially the same, their core policies nearly identical; Voters are only presented with very narrow cosmetic choices, therefore no matter who is elected American policy is the same, the dominance of the world since WWII. You can go back to review the American records since WWII. Different president may apply that policy differently only.
Visiting USA is just matter of diplomatic formality; USA has been telling the same predatory imperialist message since WWII, and only Vietnam and the Philippines want to interpret the same message differently, right now Vietnam and the Philippines are interpreting the USA’s demand for obedience as calling from God to return home.
Richard
It is rather unfortunate that the famous Chongqing incident occured just before VP Xi was schedulled to meet Obama who much have been armed with all the latest information regarding the latest fight in the ruling Communist Party and just before the announcement of new central committe.Bad luck!
JohnX
I am not sure that I understand the logic of the CCP.
It appears on one hand that thier idea of China is one that may or may not have occured in history. They then wont accept the independence of old countries and regions like Tibet or China becoming independent or autonomous in the case of Tibet. They determine this point based on a historical view of China, but one in which they can not claim to have any place in as the CCP is in this time and place not a historical Chinese entity.
Now if they live in this time and place then CCP could argue that it is the rightful Govt. of a China they control today, but can’t justify controlling Taiwan or stopping them having independence. But if they are living in a time and place of the past, then they cant claim to be the sole Emperor of China and not allowing other Chinese People to take the leadership role.
Geographically as CCP has no claim on past territories, any Chinese party and especially those with ties to the Governments that controlled the area in the past might claim the area, but CCP doesn’t have a claim.
But if CCP argues for power today, then it can only claim what it controls today as it is not the leader of all Chinese everywhere. In fact, seeming that many of those Chinese in S.E.A. are descendants of those who escaped from those who took the land in the past, maybe they are the real ones who should have claim over the Chinese people and land.
But if its just today, then CCP controls mainland China, ROC controls Taiwan, and whatever is outside these border is controlled by whoever controls it. Otherwise let the CCP and the ROC argue for the reinstatement of the Emperor and his descendants who may have a claim based on historical arguements.
Though those arguements may not hold water in the eyes of many today. It appears that the CCP wants to have its cake and eat it too and thats why thier claims on areas outside thier territory dont hold water.
JohnX
“accept the independence of old countries and regions like Tibet or China becoming independent or autonomous in the case of Tibet”
Sorry I meant to say Taiwan instead of China.
Alex
Its called the middle kingdom syndrome.
John Chan
@JohnX
It is reasonable for you to fail to understand China, because westerners’ inherent culture handicap. Westerners are inherent greedy and selfish, they cannot think beyond what they can see, that’s why westerner nations are fragmented, small and bickering with each other non stop.
China’s size and harmony are alien to the westerners, it caused them jealous, resentful and fearful, because they cannot do it themselves, so they have to destroy China into a chaotic state like theirs in order to be comfortable.
The queries in your comment merely reflect the puzzles the westerners encountered when they are unable to twist their heads around for something beyond their comprehension.
Leonard R.
@Miks:
“Bower notes reports that Xi is a more charismatic leader than Hu Jintao…”
–
lol on that one.
What leader doesn’t have more charisma than Hu Jintao?
Hu Jintao has the charisma of a wet paper bag.
DownRedChina
Ouch! We know Xi bought fake education degrees. We’ll know more about him in the coming days.
I also noticed he smiled while Biden jabbed him – a typical CCP leader.
SCdad07
Fake – You are the One?
Nevermind
You guys don’t know Chinese history and our opinions about territory.
China’s history is so long–thousands of years–and we have so many many ancestors. These ancestors told us their own story and experience by inscribed bamboo-slips, silk, and later papers. We establish our opinion through what they do and what they don’t do. On one hand, we respect our ancestors; on the other hand, most of their experiences show their wisdom to handle both the relationship with nature and with other people.
Because of system of enfeoffment, the earliest kings of Chinese dynasty can’t control every area of this big empire–each seigneur has their own military and monetary system. If king’s power is stronger than seigneur’s, there’s no problem with this political architecture; in reverse, plus a king like Edward II and an invading from other nation, situation becomes dangerous. Usually one of those seigneurs will be the next king after lots of severe wars. And then comes peace. Time flies, but the king and seigneur’s story repeated. The only difference is that seigneur wanted to take the king’s place in peacetime not always in wartime.
It’s until Shin Shi kyoutei who ended system of enfeoffment and create system of prefectures and counties to prevent other people from taking the place of his, his descendants’ legally. From then on, one who want to separate this country will become heinous and his family, friends and relatives will be punished by authority. And this tradition last for more than 2000 years and its affect is inrooted.
And what’s the worst thing happened in china or the world ? That’s WAR! There’s tens of thousands of wars broken out in China’s history. There’s always ambitious people in political stage, whether they success or not, they bring wars. And war bring death and disasters. We do hate wars, our ancestors already went through too many.
Additionally, One of our old saying: combining brings prosperous. Separation is a sign of
contabescence–that means authority is not strong enough, further more, they can’t get our trust.
So our tradition don’t allow anyone inside this country to separate territory, and no one, even the president can’t do this, if he do, he will become a sinner of our country.
nirvana
@Nevermind,
Your neighbours, that your ancestors called the “barbarians” (and that many in your country are taught to despise, still in this 21st Century), understood your mindset.
When an obscur Chinese (?) wrote (did he?) more than 2000 years ago, in a book called the “Record of Rarities” (a kind of Guiness book) a single sentence “Zhanghai qitou, shui qian er duo cishi”, this is interpreted (by your MOFA) as THE LEGAL proof that China discovered the Paracels and Spratlys of the South China Sea.
Thanks for re-iterating your version of history and your concepts of law and ownership.
Linh Viet
@John Chan,
I don’t understand the US or you don’t?
By the way, on the day (Feb 14th) when Xi visiting the US, did you know that, on the way back from Oxford, UK, the first thing we watched was this C-Span programme (link shown below)?
Commission Investigates Handling of Chinese Activists
http://www.c-span.org/Events/Commission-Investigates-Handling-of-Chinese-Activists/10737428289/
Since you know the US so well, along with other rather unfriendly signs (as raising the unfair trade, monetary manipulation, Tibet
Richard
It is true that many people,especially Chinese in the mainland do not understand the liberal system in USA,but it does not matter,there are democracy and there are democracy,i think the most important thing is majority of people can vote free and fair to decide on their own future.