Changing China
Giant on the move
China kinder to Obama than Bush?
How does one measure how U.S. President Barack Obama was received by the Chinese government?
I like to read the tea leaves and decided one measure might be to compare the reception Obama got in comparison with that given his predecessors.
For me, an indication is the most senior Chinese official greeting an American president at the airport.
Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping was the first Chinese leader Obama met in Beijing when Air Force One touched down on Monday. Xi had rushed back on the same day to the Chinese capital from the northern province of Shaanxi, where he was on an inspection tour.
An Internet search showed that in 2002 and 2005, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing was on hand when U.S. President George W. Bush arrived. Li’s replacement, Yang Jiechi, turned up when Bush landed in 2008.
Judging from the rank of the top official greeting the two U.S. presidents, China appears to like Obama more than Bush.
It is no coincidence that Xi was tapped to welcome Obama.
It’s a good start. Let’s hope the two most powerful countries can work constructively for the good of the world’s economy.