U.S. CHINA RELATIONS: HOW AN ESTABLISHED POWER MEETS A RISING

POWER?

Keshav Prasad Bhattarai

Amidst so many irresistible and uncomfortable developments from global trade to strategic developments in Asia especially from Middle East to East Asia, the fourth round of U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue(S&ED) held in Beijing on May 3-4, concluded in a note of high hopes and more encouraged. The number of agreements reached and expressions made by the leaders of both countries demonstrated their deepened concerns and commitment in managing their bilateral relations and meet global challenges so far.

The U.S. - China S&ED deliberations carries more significance as it was the last such meeting that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner would be attending in their present capacity. Both of them have articulated their unwillingness to join Obama administration if President Barack Obama is re-elected in the next presidential election.

But the nature of their different political values nearly collided when U.S. and China were preparing for the dialogue on economic and strategic issues confronting both countries. Unexpectedly, a trickiest and embarrassing situation developed between them overshadowing the whole gamut of S&ED following the case of a noted blind Chinese human rights activist - Chen Guangcheng, who dramatically escaped from a rigorous house arrest and sneaked into U.S. embassy in Beijing.

Mr. Chen a 40 years old blind lawyer, was confined in his home village of Dongshigu in Shandong - 500 kilometer away from Beijing after serving a four years jail term for his opposition to China’s one child policy. Although it is yet to be disclosed how he could manage to escape from his prison like confinement and was able to take refugee at U.S. Embassy in Beijing for about a week, the Chinese officials took it as clandestine U.S. conspiracy against China.

Therefore, just one day before the high profile deliberations, the infuriated China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said that the U.S. official by using “abnormal means” helped Chen Guangcheng, a Chinese citizen sneak into U.S. Embassy in Beijing. China claiming it as

U.S.’s interference in its domestic affairs the Spokesperson asserted that China will never accept it and demand U.S. to apologize to it.

However, both side sensed the magnitude of their squabble and therefore made immediate efforts to downplay their differences over the dealing of the Mr. Chen’s case over far bigger issues that were waiting for them on the table from global economy to uncomfortable political development and security threat from Middle East to North Korea. They did not lose their time and reached a deal satisfactory to both sides behind the curtain to let the blind human rights activist to leave his country to further his study in the U.S.

Similar event had taken place in February when Wang Lijun, one of the country's top cops had similarly entered at US consulate in Chengdu, after he was dismissed as the chief of Chongqing's police department by Bo Xilai - the party secretary of the province.

Wang’s removal from office and his sheltering at U.S. consulate triggered a fiery investigation that revealed the involvement of Bo’s and his wife’s in corruption and even murder of a business partner.

This led Bo Xilai –the charismatic senior Politburo Standing Committee member of Chinese Communist Party, stripped off the position of powerful secretary of the Chongqing. Mr. Bo who also happens to be the son of one of the eight great leaders of China - Bo Yibo, a key colleague of Mao Zedong, was supposed to be elevated in the next round of leadership change by the end of this year.

GREATEST QUESTION OF 21 CENTURY: HOW AN ESTABLISHED POWER MEETS A RISING POWER?

While the whole world was impatiently looking at USA and China and was anticipating the possible conflicting course of their future relations that would rightly begin from Chen’s case at the center and China’s tough reaction against the U.S. government, the senior officials of both countries succeeded in moving forward as if nothing had happened.

They were able to persuade each other over their strategic intention and the choices available. Immediately they came to realize that any failure on their part to live up with an integrated globalized economy and sustain their normal relation in an election year would make the leadership in both countries pay dearly for it. They agreed they had no other choice available to them than to down play the issue and live up with the coordinated and cooperative strategic actions that will deepen trust and reduce tension between the world’s two largest economies as well as major military powers.

Therefore, both sides exhibited proverbial restraints and the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue concluded highlighting the will of both nations to build their relations strong enough to meet the challenges of their economy. Chinese President Hu jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and the the Vice President Xi Jinping, likely successor of President Hu made their best efforts to make the S&ED move ahead as envisioned.

The crucial remarks made by the Chinese President and U.S. Secretary of State during the S&ED deliberations displayed their overriding concern on their mutual relations. The concerns they articulated and the agreements they reached if could be defined and followed up in the same spirit with more comprehensive bilateral accords and the tangible stages of implementations they need , it could indubitably give global peace, security and prosperity a new dimension.

President Hu, attending the last such meeting in his presidency appealed both the U.S. and China to “break the traditional belief that big powers will conflict each other, and seek new ways to develop relations between major countries”. He also called both sides to advance with time in their thinking, policies and actions and asserted that the strategic choice of “the path of peaceful development” “is a solemn commitment China has made to the world” and hence “will never be changed”.

Secretary Clinton exhibited similar enthusiasm at a press conference held at the end of two days session, repeated what she said during the S&ED course that “the United States and China are trying to do something that is historically unprecedented, to write a new answer to the age-old question of what happens when an established power and a rising power meet. And for the United States, we see this as an opportunity, not a threat. We look at the future with great optimism. And we believe that neither of us can afford to keep looking at the world through old lenses, whether it’s the legacy of imperialism, the Cold War, or balance-of-power politics. Zero sum thinking will lead to negative sum results”.

In her opening remark too, Hillary Clinton highlighting the importance of U.S.- China strategic and economic dialogue said that the S&ED process has gained more significance since it began in 2009.

Indeed, twenty first century world cannot survive unless it develops a fine and matching global framework for all countries getting strong, prosperous, and successful- that could deliver economic prosperity for all and help all countries achieve their common aim and realize their common hopes.

For that reason, as Clinton admitted whether U.S. – China or other major power countries or smaller ones need to commit to pursue a positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship to work together from local to Global level under a strong and open institutional framework for strengthening partnership and “managing those areas where there are tensions and differences”.

MUTUAL DISTRUSTS PREVAIL WITH CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

President Obama and Secretary Clinton have been repeatedly saying that when U.S. and China thrive it benefits both, and it helps them in solving threats that both countries face from regional to global level. But according to Global Times (May 3, 2012) mutual distrusts is apparently increasing between them. “There are many things that can be done to advance Sino-US ties, but meanwhile it seems hard to find where exactly to start”, Global Times says. It further claims that when both countries are worried on the hidden agendas of the other side, it “appears to be a part of the plot in the eyes of the other”, it is not possible to make a breakthrough in dissolving strategic distrust that may any time disrupt the relations between two major world powers.

China’s different political culture and its mammoth rise, has created worldwide concerns. China’s rise is also seen as a great threat to western values that is dominating the whole world including China in many respects. However, China’s cultural values have not developed to a stage that can challenge western values for many years to come. Similarly for decades to come U.S. will continue to become the single most prominent economic and military power, but if US’s projected decline continues, followed by the slowdown of European Union and countries like Japan, emerging as well as developing economies will continue to gather more admiration for China. Besides failures to prosper and deliver to people may weaken many proto democracies further and may force them switch towards non democratic regimes.

But whatever rest of the world thinks about the rise of China and the supposed U.S. decline it is China that knows it better how much it needs USA to continue and sustain its rise. Similarly only a prosperous China may help United States grow stronger to meet the global challenge of 21st Century effectively.

kpbnepal@gmail.comThe Reporter weekly May 7-13, 2012

www.thereporter.com.np