Guest blogger Roy Kamphausen is the director and vice president for political and security affairs of the Washington Office of the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR).
Perhaps the issue that inspired the most discussion at Monday’s Asia Policy Debate was over the degree and type of engagement that the next U.S. administration should pursue with China. In contrast to some previous U.S. presidential elections, there was agreement between the campaigns that the United States should pursue the broadest and deepest engagement possible with China across a wide range of issues.
Both campaigns agreed that including China is critical to the addressing of any number of regional and global challenges, from trade and economic development, to counterterrorism and climate change, to regional peace and security. Both teams of advisers said they would urge their respective candidate to visit Asia – and especially China – early and often in their administration. They agreed that the first stops on the president’s trip should be to U.S. allies Japan and South Korea. They both also agreed that the areas of overlap and cooperation between the United States and China will only continue to grow, and that the United States should encourage and build on these positive areas of engagement, while at the same time reinvigorating our traditional alliances and relationships in the region to hedge against any potentially negative outcomes of China’s rise.
Obama/Biden argued that U.S.-China cooperation is especially important in addressing the current financial challenges, given China’s ownership of $400 billion in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac alone. They also spoke of potential ways to further integrate China into the global architecture, such as by exploring its potential membership in the G-8. However, they argued that the United States should encourage more sustained and sustainable growth in China, including increased domestic consumption, that it should pursue trade adjustment assistance to protect American workers, and that we must address the continued economic distortions of countries like China as they grow and integrate into the global economy.
The McCain/Palin camp focused on the need to stand up for free trade and open markets in Asia in the wake of the financial crisis, including agreements such as that with South Korea. They noted that even though areas of shared interests with China are growing, until there is a transition in government the two countries’ shared interests will not be based on the same set of values. They argued that in order to get China “right” we must first get Asia right, which includes strengthening our bilateral alliances, particularly with Japan and South Korea, as a way to ensure a stable balance of power in the region. Thus even though the United States should welcome China’s rise and increase our engagement, there remains uncertainty about China’s future in the region, its military buildup and relations with countries like Sudan.
What do you think about China’s rise and the future of U.S.-China relations? What is the proper type and degree of engagement with China? Please post your comments below.
Comments (7)
'Femi Meyungbe-Olufunmilade
28 September 2008 at 10:49 EDT
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AMERICA’S APPROACH TO LEVERAGING CHINA IN AFRICA
It’s refreshing reading Roy Kamphausen’s report on the sort of relations experts are advising the next US Administration to forge with China. Here in Africa, there is an impression that the US, in view of China’s deepening of relations with Africa, is uncomfortable; and is trying to get a leverage with China in Africa by military means, proposing AFRICOM, manouvering around the Gulf of Guinea, and in some other not-so-apparent ways.
Whether or not this impression is true, it is clear that the US doesn’t know how to advance its interest in Africa. In the Cold War era it supported unpopular political actors like Mobutu Seseseko of defunct Zaire (now DRC), bankrolled Jonas Savimbi’s insurgency in Angola, and treated the issue of apartheid in South Africa with kid’s gloves postures which offended Africans. Then, we thought that that uncaring posture towards Africa was borne of Cold War rivalry, in which expediency took precedence above what good reasoning would have recommended in normal times.
However, the posture in prevailing times gives no cause for cheer. The US, the only Western country with the strongest primordial ties with Africa - the continent being the ancestral home of its negro population - seems only interested in Africa to the extent that it wants to check rival powers. Yesterday, it was the defunct USSR. Today, it is China.
Since the Cold War ended and a wave of democratization swept across the continent - a trend hailed by the US - the United States has been unable to offer critical assistance indispensable to consolidating democracy. There was the tokenism of AGOA, which “opportunities” Africa lacks the capacity to harness. What America is much more eager to offer is AFRICOM.
But China is wiser. The Asian Lion is offering aid to furnish critical infrastructure germane to Africa’s growth and development, albeit with attendant grey areas. China is not talking democracy or human rights. It is talking of roads, electricity, railways etc; and Africans are listening and yielding because they are not more enamoured of the substance of governance than the system of government! Africans love democracy and indeed have fought to get it, but they don’t see it as an end in itself. A commentator said he believes in “the democracy that puts food on his table”.
The tragedy of the situation is that the US has what it takes to marry development with democracy in Africa. It can mobilize investments into this continent as a sort of Marshall Plan. When and who will do it is the question: Obama? McCain?
ben
2 October 2008 at 11:27 EDT
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obama
Clayton Dube
11 October 2008 at 14:37 EDT
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Those interested in U.S.-China relations and the implications of the current election may wish to visit http://china.usc.edu to see the web documentary “Election ‘08 and the Challenge of China” produced by the USC U.S.-China Institute.
Election ’08 and the Challenge of China - New USCI Documentary
The U.S.-China relationship is complicated and is vital for both countries and the world. Where do Senators McCain and Obama stand on U.S.-China trade, security, environmental, and human rights issues? How important has policy toward China been in past elections and in 2008? These are the questions explored in a USC U.S.-China Institute documentary.
Release Date: 10/06/2008
“China has and will continue to have a tremendous impact on our lives in the coming century on the prices we pay, how we deal with the common threats we face, and even with respect to the very air that we breathe.”
Clark T. Randt, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to China
Responding to the rise of China is arguably the most important foreign policy challenge the United States will face in the next fifty years. No bilateral relationship is more critical. The range of issues is daunting. On the economic front, bilateral ties have been strained by disputes over trade flows, product safety, currency values, intellectual property rights and China’s new appetite for investment abroad, including in the United States. China’s impact on the environment and its role in addressing the problem of climate change has assumed increasing importance. In terms of security, the U.S. has been concerned by China’s military modernization, insatiable quest for natural resources, and its role in such volatile hotspots as Darfur, Iran and North Korea. All these issues raise the broader question of whether China will become a “responsible stakeholder” in the international system. American policy toward China will play a key role in determining whether this emerging superpower becomes a partner or an adversary.
Despite its importance, however, China policy has not figured prominently in the presidential campaign, or in the media coverage of it. even in the just completed McCain-Obama foreign policy debate.
The USC U.S.-China Institute, with the assistance of the Pacific Council on International Policy and the USC Annenberg School of Communication, addresses this gaping hole in the discussion with Election ’08 and the Challenge of China, an eight-part video report examining the key issues in U.S.-China relations, the role the relationship has played in past elections, and the positions taken by candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.
Reported by Mike Chinoy, former CNN Beijing bureau chief and currently the Edgerton Senior Fellow on Asia at the Pacific Council on International Policy, the series traces the evolution of the U.S.-China relationship since the Nixon opening in 1972 and then explores key issues in the relationship today: trade, Taiwan, human rights, the environment and the changing global strategic landscape. Concluding segments focus on China as a campaign issue and the candidates’ positions on China. Election ’08 and the Challenge of China features the candidates speaking out on China, as well as historical footage and exclusive interviews with top policy advisors, influential former officials, and noted scholars. Craig Stubing, US-China Today’s multimedia editor, edited the documentary.
What does the rise of China mean for America? Election ’08 and the Challenge of China helps voters reflect on the big issues and the policies articulated by the candidates and their advisors.
Access
The documentary is available at:
http://china.usc.edu/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=1191. The individual pages for the segments include speaker information, as well as links to relevant speeches, reports, and organizations.
The documentary is also available at the USC U.S.-China Institute’s channel at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/USChinaInstitute.
The Big Picture: Part 1 of Election ’08 and the Challenge of China
The opening segment documents the importance of the U.S.-China relationship and its complexity. China has the fastest growing large economy, has become the top producer of greenhouse gases, and is increasingly prominent in negotiations to limit the spread of nuclear weapons.
Tension over Trade: Part 2 of Election ’08 and the Challenge of China
Every American consumer knows how prominent Chinese goods have become in American stores. In 2007, the U.S. imported goods worth $256 billion more than it exported. Many of these products wear famous American brand names. In 2007 and again this fall, product safety issues have emerged. This segment addresses these issues and others, including China’s massive (over $500 billion) investment in America’s national debt and working conditions.
Human Rights in China : Part 3 of Election ‘08 and the Challenge of China
Chinese today enjoy great freedom in their everyday lives, but Americans of all political leanings express concern about China’s human rights record. The Chinese government’s suppression of demonstrations and riots in and near Tibet in March again focused attention on the issue, as did restrictions on demonstrations during the Olympic Games. Like his predecessors, President George W. Bush has met with Chinese political, religious, and labor rights activists and has called on Chinese authorities to do more to secure basic liberties. These criticisms and those of Bush’s predecessors have had limited impact.
Taiwan and China’s Military Buildup: Part 4 of Election ’08 and the Challenge of China
Taiwan is routinely cited by Chinese as one of the issues most likely to produce conflict between the U.S. and China. The U.S. supplies weapons to Taiwan’s military, but the American government has firmly opposed any Taiwan declaration of independence. The U.S. calls on the officials on both sides of the strait to work collaboratively towards a peaceful and enduring resolution of Taiwan’s status. Since the end of U.S.-Taiwan relations, Taiwan has become a thriving democracy. Ma Ying-jeou became president of Taiwan on May 20, 2008 and has pledged to work towards better ties with the mainland.
China’s Growing International Clout: Part 5 of the Election ’08 and the Challenge of China
China’s playing an important and growing role at the United Nations, in the World Trade Organization, and in multilateral efforts to better protect the environment and to restrict the proliferation of nuclear weapons. China’s rapid economic development requires ever increasing energy supplies and other resources. To secure these, has led China to sometimes forge ties with regimes the U.S. condemns. At the same time, many note that China is becoming more of a “responsible stakeholder,” promoting international stability and progress.
China and U.S. Campaign Politics: Part 6 of Election ’08 and the Challenge of China
It’s a well-established tradition for candidates to criticize how the current president has dealt with China. These candidates complain that the president has been “too easy on” or “to close to” China. Upon moving into the White House, presidents have found it necessary to forge stronger ties with China in order to achieve other aims. This segment reviews nearly thirty years of candidate statements and presidential policies.
McCain and China: Part 7 of Election ’08 and the Challenge of China
Senator John McCain has noted that America has shared interests with China, but not shared values. He’s long been a free trade advocate. This segment includes McCain speaking on China in Los Angeles and interviews with his principal advisors on China policy.
Obama and China: Part 8 of Election ’08 and the Challenge of China
Senator Obama has been critical of existing Chinese trade and currency practices. This segment includes the candidate speaking on China in Iowa and Pennsylvania and elsewhere. It features interviews with Obama’s principal advisors on China policy.
Feedback and media inquires on the documentary are welcome at uschina@usc.edu.
cialis
31 October 2008 at 18:04 EDT
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hello, thanks authors. exellent post
produttori vino piemonte
Location: http://www.nuovacappelletta.it/vini.php
19 August 2009 at 07:30 EDT
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Wow, I never knew that China’s rise and the future of U.S.-China relations. That’s pretty interesting…
Vino Rosso Piemonte
Location: http://nuovacappelletta.it/barbera.php
19 August 2009 at 08:38 EDT
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That’s great, I never thought about China’s rise and the future of U.S.-China relations like that before.
Vino Nebbiolo
Location: http://www.nuovacappelletta.it/nebbiolo.php
20 August 2009 at 00:35 EDT
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Good post, but have you thought about China’s rise and the future of U.S.-China relations before?