Saturday November 28, 2009

Obama leaves mark in China

Made In China by CHOW HOW BAN

WHAT did China and the United States get from the official visit of US President Barack Obama to China last week?

First, it was the assurance of support by the US on China’s one-China policy; then came Obama’s comment that US did not seek to contain China’s rise but welcomed it as a prosperous and successful nation.

There will be more youth exchange between the two nations with the number of American students studying in China to be expanded to 100,000.

US will also review its control of export of high-tech products to China.

Both parties pledged to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. On target for the Copenhagen climate change talks next month, China set to reduce its gas emission to 40-45% by 2020 compared with the levels in 2005 while US was committed to cut its greenhouse effect by 17% by 2020.

China also heard from the US president himself that Tibet is part of China and that US shall disallow any pro-Tibet independence and East Turkistan forces to use US as a launching pad to separate China.

As for Obama himself, the four-day China trip which included visits to Shanghai and the Great Wall and Forbidden City in Beijing was a fruitful and meaningful one.

He got to meet some 600 students from several universities in Shanghai at a town hall meeting in which he spoke about Western and Asian ideals, Internet freedom and the things shared between US and China.

China Daily columnist Erik Nilsson pointed out that Obama’s tone went beyond exuding a more sophisticated finesse in addressing China by striking a balance between tough talk and sweet talk.

He said Obama was a totally different president and speaker from his predecessors.

“Strong rebukes over human rights dominated Bill Clinton’s initial trip to the country. George W. Bush’s first visit was highlighted by poignant accusations of currency manipulation by the country he called a strategic rival,” he wrote.

“Instead of preaching US models to the Chinese students, Obama said that each country must chart its own course and the US should not assume its system is good for everyone else.”

Not only did Obama came to speak to Chinese youth but also to listen to them, saying they would one day shape the world, Nilsson noted.

During the trip, Obama also met his half-brother Mark Ndesandjo and his wife briefly the evening he arrived at Beijing.

This was the second meeting for Obama and Ndesandjo as the two last met in January when the latter attended the president’s inauguration.

Ndesandjo and his Chinese wife had flown in specially from Shenzhen where the couple lives.

Two weeks before Obama’s visit, Ndesandjo launched his novel Nairobi to Shenzhen, which tells the story about how his abusive Kenyan father mistreated his family during his childhood.

Many Chinese interviewed by China Daily were left with a long-lasting impression of Obama.

Some said he was a decisive and thoughtful leader and had a friendlier policy towards China.

Others felt that his visit to China to some extent was a kind of exploration and even though he did not say it explicitly, he was finding ways to join hands with China.

However, the respectful and friendly manners shown by Obama throughout his Asian trip starting from Japan to Singapore, China and South Korea received harsh criticisms from the Western media.

The uproar began when Obama bowed to Japan’s Emperor Akihito whose late father ruled when Japan bombed a US naval base at Pearl Harbour in 1941 and the gesture was seen by conservative commentators as grovelling to a foreign leader.

By the time Obama walked on the Great Wall, critics were lashing out at the president for failing “to stand up to Beijing in defence of core American interests and values”.

Columnist Li Xing wrote in China Daily that the criticisms were reminiscent of the condemnation that Kuo Sung-t’ao (1818-1891) received while serving as the first Chinese resident minister to Britain and France.

Appointed by the Qing court, Kuo was said to be amazed by the courtesy with which Queen Victoria received him.

He was fascinated by the things he experienced there, such as visits to factories and schools and making telephone calls for the first time.

Upon his return, Kuo proposed to the royal court to introduce reforms that would make China stronger.

But, his reports were not well received by officials at the imperial palace who condemned him for not standing up for the values of the court and ordered his journals to be burnt.

“The world has undergone tremendous changes since Kuo resigned his post in 1879,” Li said.

“The universal freedom and human rights championed by the United States have played a huge role in the history of the past century.

“However, people the world over have reason to be skeptical of the motives of those promoting freedom and human rights.”

In an interview with the daily, Nexus Energy Corp chairman and CEO Neil Bush, who is the younger brother of ex-US president George W. Bush, said if he were given a chance to advise Obama on his foreign policy, he would tell him to foster a more personal friendship with Chinese leaders to serve Americans in a better way.

And from his visit to Beijing, it’s clear that Obama intends to visit China more often in his personal capacity.

Maybe a visit to a KTV to belch out ballads or the UN-like Sanlitun bar street to down kebabs and cheap Tsingtao beer or even take a subway ride to get a taste of the daily trials and tribulations of the Chinese working class should be in his next visit plan, Todd Balazovic suggested tongue-in-a-cheek in his editorial.

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