I have recently returned from a trip to China sponsored by the Chinese United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) and the China Association for International Friendly Contact (CAIFC). I was in Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. This was my third trip to China. The first was in the mid-1980’s before Tiananmen Square with Loret Ruppe, head of the Peace Corps. The mission was to try to bring the Peace Corps to China. It did not work. The next trip was after Tiananmen Square when I led the first official delegation into China to test the waters in September of 1996.

The report will be divided into a look at the relationship between China and the U.S., a brief overview of China from U.S. government sources, an overall summary of the trip, coverage of individual meetings, and a review of the recommendations from the 1996 trip.

The relations between China and the U.S. are greatly important but somewhat tenuous. For instance, while economic ties are deepening, and people-to-people exchanges are increasing, a level of mistrust persists that is based on different political systems and disparities in cultures. Although China no longer has a command economy, the Communist Party maintains single-party political control, and there is not a foreseeable prospect of conversion to multi-party democracy. There are no free elections except some at the municipal level. There is minimal freedom of the press and freedom of religion and yet there is a healthy free enterprise system. The U.S. has these freedoms yet is struggling economically with a debt that in one year has added more to the deficit than the last four years of the Bush administration.

China is like a young man who all of a sudden has grown up and is one of the most powerful nations in the world. They want everyone to know how powerful they are and want their place at all the major political institutions in the world. They are very sensitive to criticism or perceived lectures or condescension and react negatively when they feel they are being “pressured” by outside powers, i.e., the United States.

The Chinese are extending their economic reach throughout the world. They will have a positive growth rate of over 7% again this year. They are competing with the U.S., but the U.S. is still a major trading partner for both imports and exports. The Chinese have actively attempted to establish a strong presence in African and Latin America. They have bought copper from Chile, and loaned Chavez $20 billion, and the third language in Chile is now Chinese. They are exerting their influence through their part of the world using a new strategy called “far sea defense.” They are looking for their Navy to help secure Chinese interest in the resource rich South and East China Seas. The Chinese Navy will have aircraft carriers as part of this new strategy.

When you go to the Forbidden City you work your way through various temples all of which promise some kind of harmony. Their foreign policy, which is centuries old, is based around stability and patience. They are not going to rush to help the U.S. and our foreign policy goals. For instance, China looks for “quiet diplomacy” to be the answer in both Iran and in North Korea.

The Chinese people we met have always been extremely courteous and polite and one can only marvel in the economic changes over the last 20 years. I don’t believe there is an inherent dislike of the individual Americans, or of our Country. Many Chinese students indicated they hope to go to America to study for a while, learn and come back. Indeed approximately 100,000 Chinese are studying in the United States, as against 20,000 Americans studying in China. These exchanges should be encouraged, but this imbalance should be rectified. It’s important that we recognize China’s willingness to encourage these exchange programs. America still represents the land of opportunity.

The basic question is what can these two nations do to eliminate or marginalize the mistrust between them and how can they work together to build a strong and stable world economy which will lead to world peace. The Chinese are going to have to learn how to deal with the directness of most Americans. The Americans are going to have to learn how to deal with the indirect approach to issues taken by the Chinese. It is going to take a lot more work and exchange programs to build a foundation for a better and positive relationship. Yet the work and effort are essential and not optional. A military conflict would be a disaster for both nations and the world as would be a trade war that could devolve into a global Depression.

Links to video programs:

The Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government
2010 Spring Symposium - Congress and Bipartisanship
http://www.loufrey.org/programs/symposia/2010_spring.php

Sunday, January 24, 2010 Flashpoint with Lauren Rowe WKMG-TV Political Rules of the Road. You may view by clicking on this link or copying and pasting it into your browser:
http://www.clickorlando.com/video/22298882/index.html

December 4, 2009 Political Rules and Congress in the C-SPAN Video Library. You may view by clicking on this link or copying and pasting it into your browser:
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/290436-6