China and the United States are economic partners, because China is the largest foreign holder of US debt. It is the #1 lender to the US at a time, when the annual budget deficit hit a record $1.42 trillion and there are concerns that the falling dollar threatens the value of its existing US holding.
China is emerging as one of the most powerful countries in the world, and its economy has defied the global economic slump. During the challenge of the economic crisis, China remained aggressive and continued to focus on its infrastructure. It is building one of the world’s biggest construction projects with a network of high-speed trains’ lines covering 10,000 miles nationwide. China for years had a “can do spirit” or a phrase entitled, “yong wang zhi qian” translated means, “move forward courageously.”
Because of its global economic position, and its power in the global marketplace, Obama must be careful not to offend President Hu Jiniato of China. China remains a poor developing country with huge problems to confront massive corruption and major environmental problems. Even though the country is communist, Obama must respect their system of government and work within their system to achieve his objectives.
During this visit, Obama has four major initiatives and issues that he plans to discuss with Chinese officials and the Chinese people. He plans to have a dialogue concerning the global economic crisis, the linked issues of clean energy and climate changes, the broad issue of nuclear proliferation, and introduce himself personally to a large Chinese audience.
In the thirty years, that the US has tried to develop diplomatic ties with China, there was still a major disconnect and mis-trust between the two countries. There are fundamental differences in the two political systems and there are major disagreements on the treatment of political dissent.
As approximately 15 million Chinese this year, will move from a rural lifestyle to an urban dwelling, which will create major city challenges. There will be a need for a more efficient infrastructure, with more jobs, more businesses and industries. Modernization and urbanization will become a major challenge for the communist party and the citizens will expect a better life.
Economically the two countries are tied together at the hip. Americans can learn from the Chinese in setting goals, making plans, and focusing on moving the country ahead as a nation. China can learn from America by supplying its citizen with a higher quality of life for the majority of its citizens.
Despite China being one of the oldest civilizations on the earth, its economy is one of the most creative and newest on the planet. With its major emphasis on education, the future is bright for its citizens, because the country is creating an intelligent and smart worker. Their brand will be recognized around the world, because they will be exposed to more leadership roles around the world.
Obama’s weeklong visit to the Asian countries is a success, because collaborations, alliances, and coalitions will be necessary in the future world. As Obama continues to reach out to countries with adversarial situations, they will begin to trust us and learn that we can help each other. In this new global economy, no country is an island.
Concessions will have to be made by every leader and government in the world. The challenge of a different governmental system will teach us all to have more patience with each other. Diplomacy and intelligence will make the difference in which country will be put in a position of leadership.
Learning and respecting a world of diversity will help make America stronger. Can peace become a reality in my time?
