The US and China cautiously move to the next stage

ANDREW POSTAL

The United States and China have had a relationship best described as complex. Due to economic and political activity, the two states are vastly intertwined. During 2009, China will be reminded of some important events that have shaped its history and relations with the US––Mao Zedong taking over Mainland China in 1949, the March 1959 Tibetan revolt, and the June 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations. The Obama Administration, however, is looking past these complications and towards cooperation with China to help solve the financial crisis and other global problems.

The Obama Administration embraces the philosophy of "smart power" in international relations. This ideology combines both hard (military) and soft (diplomatic) power to assert American influence abroad. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton articulated this new philosophy in her Senate confirmation hearing, stating that "America cannot solve the most pressing problems on our own, and the world cannot solve them without America."

Sec. Clinton, while in China discussing the financial crisis, claimed that China and the US "are in the same boat." Clinton continued, "Thankfully, we are rowing in the same direction." Sec. Clinton attempted to demonstrate that unless the US and China cooperate to solve the financial crisis, both nations are headed toward financial disaster. The Chinese Premier expressed concern about the solvency of US Treasury Bonds held by China. In a March news conference, he called on the US to "honor its word and stay a credible nation and ensure the safety of Chinese assets." China holds an estimated $800 billion worth of America’s debt.

This prompted White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs to assure the Chinese that "there’s no safer investment in the world than the United States." In addition, critics claim that China has kept its currency, the yuan, artificially low. US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told senators during his confirmation that China has been manipulating its currency. Many US economists estimate that the yuan is undervalued by 20-30 percent. By doing this, the Chinese have kept the prices of their exports lower in markets around the world, driving out domestic American and European competition, both of which have higher-valued currencies.

Yet one result of the financial crisis seems to be that the US is willing to work with China without the strings of human rights attached. Letting go of some standard US strongholds such as human rights is an example of the "smart power" strategy emerging in US foreign relations. Sec. Clinton claimed that "our continuous pressing on [human rights] issues can’t interfere with the global economic crisis." In the past, Chinese human rights violations have been the "elephant in the room" in all US-China agreements. China wants to protect its internal sovereignty, while the US and many international organizations feel the need to point out abuses and attempt to help rectify those abuses. The "Free Tibet" movement is a good example of this, as well as senior President Bush’s placing of sanctions on China in response to their militant actions in Tiananmen Square.

While the global nature of the financial crisis has visibly altered Sino-American relations, global climate change may offer another avenue for cooperation. In 2006, China surpassed the US as the world’s largest carbon dioxide emitter. Special Envoy on Climate Change Todd Stern, who accompanied Sec. Clinton on her trip to China, feels that "we need to…focus on how our two leading nations can work together productively to solve the problem." Energy security remains China’s largest concern; however, they have laid out plans to make power plants increasingly "green." The Chinese hope to reduce emissions by 10 percent by 2010. Three major Chinese cities—Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin—have been experimenting with carbon controls similar to those in the US designed to reduce emissions that cause acid rain. The Obama Administration hopes to begin working with Chinese leaders to draft a policy regulating greenhouse gas emissions from both countries.

The Obama Administration has made clear its goals of cooperation, but still sees a rise in Chinese power as a possible threat to American interests. In an April 2007 primary debate, Obama said that China is "neither our enemy nor our friend[…t]hey’re competitors." Uncertainty and distrust still persist, as seen with the recent crisis over the USNS Impeccable in the South China Sea, in which China felt that the US had trespassed in their waters. China and the US are each others’ biggest trading partners, offering political and economic stability and thus making cooperation that much more attainable. Overall, the Obama Administration has looked to international cooperation to solve problems in the long run rather than "band-aid" them in the present. Only time will tell how the next four years will mold the ever-complicated US-China relationship.

Tags :