Clearly More Than a Business Lunch

Despite all their differences, the United States and China are making a stab at harmony during President Hu Jintao’s visit to America.

With the first Washington state dinner for a Chinese head of state in 13 years, it’s clear that the United States is finally recognizing China as a growing world power.

The Obama-friendly U.S. media called Wednesday’s state dinner festive and appropriate; media commentators less friendly to Obama called it pompous. The third high-level banquet since his inauguration was simultaneously the first held in honor of a Chinese leader in this millennium.

The two leaders talked of their common goal of building relations between the two nations. Hu spoke of a partnership based on “mutual respect” while his host called China a great nation. Three years ago, Hu had to be content with a working lunch with George W. Bush; yesterday, talks between members of Congress and the Chinese delegation, followed by a trip to Chicago, were on the agenda.

The only concrete results of the visit had already been accomplished before Hu’s arrival. Seventy agreements with U.S. corporations worth a total of $45 billion had been signed, according to White House sources. China agreed to buy 200 Boeing aircraft worth $19 billion. All in all, the agreement affects 200,000 American jobs said White House staffers, with an eye toward the crisis-stricken U.S. labor market.

Surprisingly, Hu admitted at a press conference that China still had “much to do” in the area of human rights. A variety of bilateral problems and demands was addressed, such as Washington’s complaint that the Yuan was undervalued, placing American business at a disadvantage. In the closing statements it was announced that China would work on more flexibility in currency exchange rates. It was also announced that there would continue to be significant differences concerning human rights with Beijing maintaining the position that there should be no interference with each nation’s domestic agendas.

Republicans have criticized Obama for negotiating with China’s leaders despite their human rights record. The conservative House leadership declined to attend the state dinner for the Chinese delegation. But even Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid described Hu as a dictator — only to later distance himself from his words. Simultaneously with China’s visit, members of the House of Representatives held hearings on human rights in China, during which they compared Hu to imperial leaders of the past and accused China of being a “Gulag state.”

American citizens also view the world’s second largest economy with skepticism. According to a Washington Post report, 61 percent think China is an economic threat to the U.S., and a Wall Street Journal survey reported that 38 percent think that China will be the world’s economic superpower within 20 years. Only one-third of Americans think the U.S. will be able to keep its number one ranking.

But aside from economic growth, China’s imperial intentions and its military capabilities remain dwarfed by the United States. China expert Henry Rosemont at Brown University suggests that cutting America’s military budget — the U.S. currently spends more on defense than the rest of the world combined — would be a good first step in building mutual trust and strengthening the United Nations.

Disarmament expert Joseph Gerson of the American Friends Service Committee pointed out that America’s defense budget is still ten times larger than China’s and that Washington still follows a policy of containment regarding China. The United States sought to compensate for its dwindling economic power by “encircling” China with the help of military alliances stretching from East Asia to the NATO states.