Obama handles China delicately
It’s too early to tell whether President Barack Obama’s new approach to China will be more successful than his predecessor’s. But this week’s high-level dialogue in Washington underlined how the balance of power is shifting.
The U.S. side, determined to be more respectful and less confrontational, tiptoed around the sensitive issue of China’s currency, avoiding any public appeal for an upwards revaluation in the yuan.
There was a passing reference to the rights of China’s ethnic and religious minorities, but no sign the other side would take any more notice of foreign interference in its internal affairs than it has in the past.
Not was there any evidence the Chinese and Americans were any closer on issues from climate change to how to deal with countries like North Korea and Sudan.
The Chinese, though, seemed less circumspect, more confident even in their public statements. Washington, they argued, should rein in its budget deficit and refrain from flooding the world with dollars.
They are, after all, holding more than $800 billion in U.S. Treasury debt, and don’t want to see the value of those investments fall.
And when you have such a big customer, you better listen to them, as the Wall Street Journal pointed out this morning.
The First Draft: Deja vu – it’s China and healthcare again
Presidents are never afraid of beating the same drum twice.
Today, President Barack Obama continues his quest to boost support for healthcare reform with a “tele-town hall” at AARP. Then he talks about relations with China, just like on Monday.
With Obama’s drive for healthcare reform stalled in the Senate and the House — even though both chambers are controlled by his fellow Democrats — the president is looking to ordinary Americans to push harder for an overhaul of the system.
Democrats have backed away from a vow to take a vote on the legislation before the month-long August recess but lawmakers in both chambers are still working on the bill. This afternoon, Obama heads to AARP headquarters to take questions from senior citizens about health insurance and his proposed reforms.
Then he heads back to the White House for talks with the leaders of the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue.
Obama is expected to talk with the top Chinese officials about the need for the two economic powers to work together for global economic recovery and also discuss issues like North Korea and global climate change.
After meeting with Obama the top U.S. and Chinese officials will hold back-to-back news conferences to give their own versions of what happened.
Obama wants us to drink the Kool-Aid while him and his others do not intend to. What a joke!!
Confucius? No, Yao Ming
Instead of a cultural icon, well-known author or scholar, President Barack Obama sought the advice of … a basketball player as he talked of the importance of strong U.S.-Chinese economic ties.
In a speech opening the Strategic Economic Dialogue between the United States and China, Obama — an avid basketball fan and player — quoted China’s most popular sports star and Houston Rockets center, Yao Ming.
Obama said he and Chinese President Hu Jintao both agreed the two nations needed to hold “sustained dialogue to enhance our shared interests.”
Then he went for the analogy.
“As a new President and also as a basketball fan, I have learned from the words of Yao Ming, who said, ‘No matter whether you are new or an old team member, you need time to adjust to one another.’”
“Well, through the constructive meetings that we’ve already had, and through this dialogue, I’m confident that we will meet Yao’s standard.”
Wonder if it makes a difference that the seven-time All Star just had foot surgery which will rule him out for the whole next NBA season?
The First Draft: China and healthcare
Topics of the day today: more healthcare and U.S.-Chinese relations
President Barack Obama speaks at the beginning of a two-day U.S.-Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington, then top Chinese and U.S. officials will work on developing a new framework for U.S.-Chinese relations.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner are among the high-level officials taking part in the meeting. The duo wrote an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal talking about the need for working with China.
Congress is still working on healthcare reform, although Obama has eased up on his August deadline for working out a deal. Democratic lawmakers will be working on ironing out differences within their own party. Obama has learned that although both the House and the Senate have big Democratic majorities, that’s not always enough to get legislation passed.
Democratic Senator Kent Conrad, a key player in bipartisan Senate Finance Committee negotiations on healthcare, said on Sunday Senate Democrats don’t have the votes to pass healthcare reform without Republican support and would not predict whether the panel would be able to produce a bill before the August recess.
But Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said he is confident a bill will pass by the end of the year.
when we talk to china now, it is like talking to the bank manager.the new frame work is,will you keep supporting the dollar as the business currency and will you guarantee to carry on bailing our debt out.so don,t let obama suggest that he is imposing his will on the chinese,like he is trying with us.it is cap and trade with us,but with the chinese it is cap in hand.
Do looks matter in China?
BEIJING – Does having “a Chinese face” help two top U.S. officials in hard bargaining on energy and trade issues with the Chinese?
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, whose grandfather came to the United States from China, told reporters in Beijing not necessarily so.
But Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao expressed pride in Locke and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s ancestory when he met with them on Thursday.
“For both secretaries of Chinese heritage, I am particularly glad to see you today. I want to extend my congratulations to the two of you for taking very important positions in the U.S. administration,” Wen said at the start of a meeting on clean energy cooperation between the world’s biggest emitters greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.
Later, at a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, a Chinese reporter asked Locke and Chu whether “your Chinese face and your Chinese origin” provided an edge in negotiations with the Chinese.
Locke, a former Washington state governor who has visited China dozens of time and helped arrange President Hu Jintao’s visit to Seattle in 2006, told Reuters earlier this week his Chinese ancestry did “help open some doors” in Beijing. At the press conference, he played down any benefit.
“I don’t know that being a Chinese-American gives us a particular advantage,” Locke said. “We represent the president of the United States and the American people … I’m proud of my Chinese heritage and the contribution of China for thousands of year, but I’m 100 percent American.”
Obama,s “why can,t we all be friends”policy seems not to be getting any traction.the much awaited”change” that was going to bring in “an new era cooperation”is not working.it was expected to follow automatically after Obama apologized for Americas past deeds.the only moderate success obama has had is with hugo chaves,and that is if he tries to sell his book.but relationships with other countries are now worse than when bush was in office!hillary has offended north korea,biden has infuriated russia,and protesters are marching in israel against obama.china has told obama to be careful with his spending and india has told him to keep his nose out of their energy policy.this is not what we were told to expect!