Bush
visit to China step in right direction
Staff
Editorial
Though
the Bush administration returned from
China on Monday, it will have to wait
until way past Christmas to begin opening
presents from the Chinese. America’s
reform wish list in China is long, detailed
and highly contested. It is important
the desires of the administration not
be expressed as demands, but as wishes.
This week’s visit was a step in
the right direction.
The Chinese are no longer awed into submission by the United States’ power.
Because of this, it is necessary to consistently and firmly reiterate the United
States’ desires for reform. Human rights, international trade, religious
freedom and intellectual property rights dominated the discussions, though
little success was achieved on any front.
The administration was able to meet its low expectations for the trip. It promised
no major breakthroughs and received none. There were several token gifts but
little else.
Officials have been emphasizing the opportunities of the trip, providing face-to-face
contact between President George W. Bush and current Chinese President Hu Jintao.
It was smart thinking from an administration that is increasingly shrewd in
its interactions with this rising superpower.
Bush made one major gaffe during the trip: he went to church.
By attending Mass at the state-sanctioned Gangwashi Church, Bush managed to
offend both the host and his own
nation.
Attending a Christian church sends a poor message of American superiority toward
the Chinese. Though it may demonstrate respect for religious freedom, it shows
the United States only accepts change on its own terms.
China has been making progress toward increased religious freedom, but it serves
no purpose for the president to flaunt a delicate issue in a series of meetings
designed to foster ongoing Sino-American relations.
The president — in a precarious domestic position — should have
kept the conversation tightly focused on the economy.
The
United States has already shown it can
broker deals with China over textiles quotas,
and it is time to apply these to intellectual
property rights and labor standards.
It is only through ongoing negotiations and patience that the United States
will achieve results with China. The autocratic government of the world’s
largest state prizes stability above all else. If the president tries to veer
from emphasizing slow and steady reform, he may find his policy in the same
place he was after a press conference in
Beijing, behind a locked door.
This article originally appeared in Tuft Daily at Tufts University.
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