Precisely how president-elect Barack Obama will shape U.S. policy toward China remains unclear in many respects.
By Zhou Qi, Caijing Magazine 5 November 2008
During the U.S. primary election, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton attacked Barack Obama’s lack of foreign policy experience. Obama informally admitted this shortcoming, but promised to recruit the best foreign policy experts to work with him.
Now, as the dust settles from Obama’s election, what can we expect from the president-elect in terms of Asia policy? Who will be his advisers, and what has he said about foreign issues?
Based on his speeches, Obama’s foreign policy appears to revolve around restoring America’s leading role in the world, reforming and enhancing international organizations, strengthening ties with allies, strengthening NATO, laying a good foundation for a lasting peace in Asia, and combating global warming along with other nations around the world.
High on the new president’s foreign policy priority list are Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran’s nuclear issue. North Korea could be listed fourth or fifth in importance.
Experienced China hands close to Obama agree that his policy on Asia, especially on China, won’t steer far from the current theme. David Lampton, director of China Studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said all recent presidential candidates from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush, campaigned with demands that China make big changes. But the toughest China bashers – Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush – abandoned their harsh rhetoric after taking office and adopted a status quo direction on China.
Obama has yet to clearly outline his China policy. But most of his major advisors on China – including Jeffery Bader, Richard Bush and David Lampton – have extensive experience at the U.S. government’s diplomatic agency and are aware of the importance of retaining a pragmatic policy toward China. They also recognize the importance of building good and stable bilateral relations based on mutual trust. On several occasions, Bader has said that Obama’s China policy will reflect continuity.
Of course, Obama can be expected to re-examine policies toward China in all respects, including the Strategic Economic Dialogue launched by outgoing President Bush. Last year, Obama called the dialogue a good idea, leading many to believe the high-level meetings will continue after this year’s final round.
On trade, Obama might lean toward trade unions and emphasize worker rights. But it doesn’t mean he would be protectionist. His major economic advisors are liberal internationalists such as Robert Rubin. Moreover, Obama has called trade barriers harmful, emphasizing that free trade can enhance America’s competitiveness.
One change might involve human rights. So far, we haven’t heard anything from Obama on this issue. But since the issue of human rights in China has been on the U.S. president’s desk since the Carter Administration, and Obama is a Democrat, the new president might be more critical of China’s human rights record. On the other hand, an aide to the vice president-elect, Joseph Biden, once told the media that America should focus on what China has accomplished in terms of human rights, not on its system. This comment might indicate a new perspective.
Except for extreme conservatives, most Americans consider the current Taiwan policy adopted by the U.S. government wise and worth continuing. This was evident in a letter Obama sent to Ma Ying-jeou, the current Taiwan leader, after the Taiwanese election in May.
In the letter Obama said, “We should maintain our ‘one China’ policy, our adherence to the three U.S.-PRC Joint Communiqués concerning Taiwan, and observance of the Taiwan Relations Act, which lays out the legal basis for our relationship.”
That said, it should be noted that presidential campaign statements usually differ from what American presidents actually deliver. We will have to wait until after Obama takes office next year to see how he shapes U.S. policy toward China.
The author is a researcher at the Institute of American Studies at China’s Academy of Social Sciences.
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Obama’s China Policy: More of the Same?
Precisely how president-elect Barack Obama will shape U.S. policy toward China remains unclear in many respects.
By Zhou Qi, Caijing Magazine
5 November 2008
During the U.S. primary election, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton attacked Barack Obama’s lack of foreign policy experience. Obama informally admitted this shortcoming, but promised to recruit the best foreign policy experts to work with him.
Now, as the dust settles from Obama’s election, what can we expect from the president-elect in terms of Asia policy? Who will be his advisers, and what has he said about foreign issues?
Based on his speeches, Obama’s foreign policy appears to revolve around restoring America’s leading role in the world, reforming and enhancing international organizations, strengthening ties with allies, strengthening NATO, laying a good foundation for a lasting peace in Asia, and combating global warming along with other nations around the world.
High on the new president’s foreign policy priority list are Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran’s nuclear issue. North Korea could be listed fourth or fifth in importance.
Experienced China hands close to Obama agree that his policy on Asia, especially on China, won’t steer far from the current theme. David Lampton, director of China Studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said all recent presidential candidates from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush, campaigned with demands that China make big changes. But the toughest China bashers – Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush – abandoned their harsh rhetoric after taking office and adopted a status quo direction on China.
Obama has yet to clearly outline his China policy. But most of his major advisors on China – including Jeffery Bader, Richard Bush and David Lampton – have extensive experience at the U.S. government’s diplomatic agency and are aware of the importance of retaining a pragmatic policy toward China. They also recognize the importance of building good and stable bilateral relations based on mutual trust. On several occasions, Bader has said that Obama’s China policy will reflect continuity.
Of course, Obama can be expected to re-examine policies toward China in all respects, including the Strategic Economic Dialogue launched by outgoing President Bush. Last year, Obama called the dialogue a good idea, leading many to believe the high-level meetings will continue after this year’s final round.
On trade, Obama might lean toward trade unions and emphasize worker rights. But it doesn’t mean he would be protectionist. His major economic advisors are liberal internationalists such as Robert Rubin. Moreover, Obama has called trade barriers harmful, emphasizing that free trade can enhance America’s competitiveness.
One change might involve human rights. So far, we haven’t heard anything from Obama on this issue. But since the issue of human rights in China has been on the U.S. president’s desk since the Carter Administration, and Obama is a Democrat, the new president might be more critical of China’s human rights record. On the other hand, an aide to the vice president-elect, Joseph Biden, once told the media that America should focus on what China has accomplished in terms of human rights, not on its system. This comment might indicate a new perspective.
Except for extreme conservatives, most Americans consider the current Taiwan policy adopted by the U.S. government wise and worth continuing. This was evident in a letter Obama sent to Ma Ying-jeou, the current Taiwan leader, after the Taiwanese election in May.
In the letter Obama said, “We should maintain our ‘one China’ policy, our adherence to the three U.S.-PRC Joint Communiqués concerning Taiwan, and observance of the Taiwan Relations Act, which lays out the legal basis for our relationship.”
That said, it should be noted that presidential campaign statements usually differ from what American presidents actually deliver. We will have to wait until after Obama takes office next year to see how he shapes U.S. policy toward China.
The author is a researcher at the Institute of American Studies at China’s Academy of Social Sciences.
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