No Bull In the China Shop
By: Rene Velez Jan. 19th, 2011
President Obama has given a whole new meaning to rolling out the red carpet in Washington. It certainly is a tongue and cheek affair when we invite a communist country leader to the center of world democracy and treat him to a fancy dinner with world leaders. China after all is a country that is known for human rights abuses. I am sure the average American and pundit alike can think of numerous reasons why we should snub those communist dictators. In fact they might even be right. But of course the very same people have no problems buying the many “Made In China” goods we consume daily in this country.
The Exercise in Diplomacy
We should all exercise cautious diplomacy with the Chinese government and its leaders. Look at it this way, we all have worked with people that we may not really like. But, since we get paid to do a job, we exercise civility and we get the job done. China is such a player in the world market. We do not agree with their form of government but we tolerate them and work with them. Let’s face it, as long as they are not our enemy, we should not engage in a relationship that alienates us from them. President Obama is right in establishing dialogue with the Chinese government and in trying to bring the U.S. and China closer. This is not about selling out to the Chinese. It is about creating a strength in the common factors that affect both our countries and in the furtherance of world peace. Diplomacy with the Chinese makes perfect sense. We need not make an enemy out the Chinese simply because we do not agree, even in fundamental government policy and human rights issues. The Chinese already are well invested into the U.S. and in the world power structure and their leadership will have to evolve past communism and its current ideology and adopt mainstream world governance. The U.S. foreign policy has often failed due to a dogmatic attack on countries that are different than we are and in pure arrogance has created enemies were we had none. Let us not do this here.
China the Ally
We should not loose sight of the important role China plays in helping maintain world peace. Particularly in Asia. Recently, when North Korea has exercised reckless abandon in flaunting military power China has acted in good faith to maintain some order. Certainly, effectiveness can be questioned but China is a world power to be taken seriously. Anything the Chinese can do to avert any war is a major win and for that we should all be thankful. It is ironic that a country which has displayed human rights abuses such as those actions in Tibet and the jailing of a Nobel Peace Prize winner can actually be an ally of the U.S. in creating peace. It’s almost as if we are not talking about the same country. To be certain, many scholars have difficulty in explaining such a divergence. Then again here we have a communist country that has adopted capitalism and seems to be doing a fantastic job of it. Again we could easily criticize the Chinese in many areas, from pollution and environmental damage to poor working conditions and the manipulation of the value of their currency. Yet, we need to listen carefully at something the Chinese have said over and over. Hu Jintao and the Chinese government has said, we have some “unique” circumstances that are very different. In fact China has many challenges before it simply due to its shear population size. We all try to put meaning to the term “unique” and in the end we can’t help to highlight the differences. However, when all is said, they remain an ally of this country even if that friendship is shaded in hues we can’t easily comprehend. China does not easily fit into our, or the western world way of thinking.
The Trump Factor
Donald Trump, the world known real estate billionaire, has come out and defiantly called; China is our enemy. He cites human rights abuses, copy right infringements, hacking into computer systems, stealing technology, price dumping, currency manipulation, seeking political and strategic dominance etc. etc. Few would argue that Mr. Trump is not a wise man. In fact many, if not all, he mentions are in fact true by my quick accounting. However, I hardly would suggest calling them an enemy is correct. Simply, China is beating us at our own game and breaking many established rules in the process. In fact China is the envy of many U.S. corporations who wish they could command their environment, for profit, as well as the Chinese. China is to some extent what capitalism would look like in the U.S., if we had no regulations and human rights. You may want to consider the recent financial melt down on Wall Street, the disregard for risk, the highly leveraged companies, the request for bailouts and then huge compensation packages for the very executives that caused the collapse to begin with. Practically a collapse of the financial system of the greatest capitalist country in the world by a small few greedy capitalist. Seems to me the China shop on Wall Street was doing quite well until the American Bull walked in. I am not a fan of China nor a supporter of their actions or political ideology. But what are the alternatives? Should we allow a country with 1.2 billion citizens die of hunger, deprive them of opportunity and advancement? Allowing them to do this only accomplishes two things that are truly the enemy of America. Firstly they become a burden to the world and in particular the United States. Secondly, poverty, political unrest, the lack of opportunity are the recipe and breading ground for contempt, disorder and tomorrows terrorists. China is a thousand year old culture that is catching up very fast. Give them the opportunity and make a friend out of China. We should recognize that once that opportunity is had, nothing creates a motivator to fix ideology than the threat of going back to the misery of yesterday.
Conclusion
Without question China is an anomalie. We need to be very diligent in how we proceed with China. We need to exercise extreme diplomacy and strengthen our ties with them in order to improve our relations and gain a common trust with the Chinese. Only by working together can we hope to avoid conflicts with China and other global powers and in the long run we can aspire to someday help China become more democratic. Some anxiety with China is very understandable. What may add to that anxiety is that in this long journey with the Chinese we may actually learn something from them. When talking and working on all things China, we need to make sure we have a full grasp of all the factors in our relationship with them and avoid the “Bull” in the China shop. We should understand clearly, that their fortune is not our misfortune. It is a call for us in America to create another Sputnik moment that will galvanize this country, its leaders, government, businesses, citizens, educational institutions to be creative and innovative. To break the bounds of our current crisis and forge a new tomorrow.
By: Rene Velez Jan. 19th, 2011
President Obama has given a whole new meaning to rolling out the red carpet in Washington. It certainly is a tongue and cheek affair when we invite a communist country leader to the center of world democracy and treat him to a fancy dinner with world leaders. China after all is a country that is known for human rights abuses. I am sure the average American and pundit alike can think of numerous reasons why we should snub those communist dictators. In fact they might even be right. But of course the very same people have no problems buying the many “Made In China” goods we consume daily in this country.
The Exercise in Diplomacy
We should all exercise cautious diplomacy with the Chinese government and its leaders. Look at it this way, we all have worked with people that we may not really like. But, since we get paid to do a job, we exercise civility and we get the job done. China is such a player in the world market. We do not agree with their form of government but we tolerate them and work with them. Let’s face it, as long as they are not our enemy, we should not engage in a relationship that alienates us from them. President Obama is right in establishing dialogue with the Chinese government and in trying to bring the U.S. and China closer. This is not about selling out to the Chinese. It is about creating a strength in the common factors that affect both our countries and in the furtherance of world peace. Diplomacy with the Chinese makes perfect sense. We need not make an enemy out the Chinese simply because we do not agree, even in fundamental government policy and human rights issues. The Chinese already are well invested into the U.S. and in the world power structure and their leadership will have to evolve past communism and its current ideology and adopt mainstream world governance. The U.S. foreign policy has often failed due to a dogmatic attack on countries that are different than we are and in pure arrogance has created enemies were we had none. Let us not do this here.
China the Ally
We should not loose sight of the important role China plays in helping maintain world peace. Particularly in Asia. Recently, when North Korea has exercised reckless abandon in flaunting military power China has acted in good faith to maintain some order. Certainly, effectiveness can be questioned but China is a world power to be taken seriously. Anything the Chinese can do to avert any war is a major win and for that we should all be thankful. It is ironic that a country which has displayed human rights abuses such as those actions in Tibet and the jailing of a Nobel Peace Prize winner can actually be an ally of the U.S. in creating peace. It’s almost as if we are not talking about the same country. To be certain, many scholars have difficulty in explaining such a divergence. Then again here we have a communist country that has adopted capitalism and seems to be doing a fantastic job of it. Again we could easily criticize the Chinese in many areas, from pollution and environmental damage to poor working conditions and the manipulation of the value of their currency. Yet, we need to listen carefully at something the Chinese have said over and over. Hu Jintao and the Chinese government has said, we have some “unique” circumstances that are very different. In fact China has many challenges before it simply due to its shear population size. We all try to put meaning to the term “unique” and in the end we can’t help to highlight the differences. However, when all is said, they remain an ally of this country even if that friendship is shaded in hues we can’t easily comprehend. China does not easily fit into our, or the western world way of thinking.
The Trump Factor
Donald Trump, the world known real estate billionaire, has come out and defiantly called; China is our enemy. He cites human rights abuses, copy right infringements, hacking into computer systems, stealing technology, price dumping, currency manipulation, seeking political and strategic dominance etc. etc. Few would argue that Mr. Trump is not a wise man. In fact many, if not all, he mentions are in fact true by my quick accounting. However, I hardly would suggest calling them an enemy is correct. Simply, China is beating us at our own game and breaking many established rules in the process. In fact China is the envy of many U.S. corporations who wish they could command their environment, for profit, as well as the Chinese. China is to some extent what capitalism would look like in the U.S., if we had no regulations and human rights. You may want to consider the recent financial melt down on Wall Street, the disregard for risk, the highly leveraged companies, the request for bailouts and then huge compensation packages for the very executives that caused the collapse to begin with. Practically a collapse of the financial system of the greatest capitalist country in the world by a small few greedy capitalist. Seems to me the China shop on Wall Street was doing quite well until the American Bull walked in. I am not a fan of China nor a supporter of their actions or political ideology. But what are the alternatives? Should we allow a country with 1.2 billion citizens die of hunger, deprive them of opportunity and advancement? Allowing them to do this only accomplishes two things that are truly the enemy of America. Firstly they become a burden to the world and in particular the United States. Secondly, poverty, political unrest, the lack of opportunity are the recipe and breading ground for contempt, disorder and tomorrows terrorists. China is a thousand year old culture that is catching up very fast. Give them the opportunity and make a friend out of China. We should recognize that once that opportunity is had, nothing creates a motivator to fix ideology than the threat of going back to the misery of yesterday.
Conclusion
Without question China is an anomalie. We need to be very diligent in how we proceed with China. We need to exercise extreme diplomacy and strengthen our ties with them in order to improve our relations and gain a common trust with the Chinese. Only by working together can we hope to avoid conflicts with China and other global powers and in the long run we can aspire to someday help China become more democratic. Some anxiety with China is very understandable. What may add to that anxiety is that in this long journey with the Chinese we may actually learn something from them. When talking and working on all things China, we need to make sure we have a full grasp of all the factors in our relationship with them and avoid the “Bull” in the China shop. We should understand clearly, that their fortune is not our misfortune. It is a call for us in America to create another Sputnik moment that will galvanize this country, its leaders, government, businesses, citizens, educational institutions to be creative and innovative. To break the bounds of our current crisis and forge a new tomorrow.
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