Hu Jintao’s visit to Washington has been accompanied by the usual swooning. The New York Times, for instance, finds “Subtle Signs of Progress in U.S.-China Relations.” Very subtle indeed:
In a joint statement issued Wednesday, the Chinese for the first time expressed public concern over North Korea’s recent disclosure of a modern uranium-enrichment plant, a small but ardently sought step in American efforts to press Kim Jong-il to roll back his nuclear weapons program.
More surprisingly, perhaps, Mr. Hu said at a White House news conference that China “recognizes and also respects the universality of human rights,” a palpable shift for a government that has staged a two-year crackdown on internal dissent and imprisoned a Nobel laureate.
But even Times reporter Michael Wines is forced to admit that “words, of course, are easier than deeds.” He went on to concede (a concession that undercuts the entire thrust of the article):
Neither side made any significant progress, much less any breakthrough, on the larger problems that have bedeviled relations ever since Mr. Obama made his state visit to Beijing in November 2009. On the American side, that includes revaluing China’s currency, leveling the playing field for American investors in China and establishing a serious discourse between the nations’ militaries.
That tensions remain even after the two presidents broke bread together should hardly be a surprise. Keep in mind the larger picture. Numerous countries have ascended to great power status in the past 1,000 years, as China now aspires to do. Not a single one managed to make the transition peacefully. Not the Ottomans, not the Habsburgs, not the French, not the British, not the Germans, not the Russians. Not even the Americans. We like to think of ourselves as a peace-loving nation, but that’s not how our neighbors see us — and with good cause. Remember, as soon as we were strong enough, we went to war with Mexico to wrestle away the Southwest, and then, for good measure, we went to war with Spain to wrestle away Cuba and the Philippines. These were the actions, recall, of a liberal democracy. Autocratic regimes like the one in Beijing tend to be much more belligerent.
And indeed, China has been acting aggressively recently in trying to establish its hegemony in the region. As part of this process, it has undertaken a rapid military buildup that, as Dan Blumenthal and Mike Mazza note in the Weekly Standard, includes acquiring the means to strike distant American bases.
Does this mean that war with China is inevitable? Of course not. But we should be wary of the happy talk that normally accompanies summits. China may indeed see a “peaceful rise,” the slogan it adopted a few years ago. But based on history, that’s not the way to bet.
Gee, you mean Biden won’t be as powerful as Cheney? What a surprise! We must be getting a president who can think for himself (and also not depend on direct messages from God).
Is it that we are getting a President who can think for himself, or a Vice-President who has demonstrated that he cannot?
Well it’s a good thing that I agree with President Obama on this; than again I voted for the other ticket, because I knew we needed an active VP.
This is great preparation is Biden has to assume the Presidency. Goodness, these people don’t have any sense.
JohnR — this was the traditional role of the VP before Cheney started running a shadow govt out of the Naval Observatory. Somehow the nation has managed to survive without a puppet master until now.
So how did #5 ever function? And where does that leave Axlerot?
Joe Biden ain’t quite dead, but he’s gone
His vice-presidency all but withdrawn
Asked what he’d do between funerals
He offered oratorical gaffs and garbles
Before saying he’d play with his crayon
I commented a little bit about Biden’s new (non) duties here; it must be nice to go to a well paying job with nice perques/benefits, where everyone wants you to do as little as possible!
#5 – Carter promised to make Mondale the most involved Veep ever, it was a campaign promise.
Gore was put in charge of reinventing government by Clinton, and was granted no controlling legal authority over his activities.
Biden is being hidden away because he cannot control his mouth. He is an embarrassment.
And Biden is the second Obama man to go into hiding. Rahm has been out of site since the Blago eruption. A Veep hidden in the closet and a Chief of Staff gone MIA, keep the popcorn coming.
REAL STORY: BIDEN HAS DEMENTIA.
Biden being an irrelevant VP is a welcome development. I thought that maybe Cheney had revolutionized the office forever. Personally, I think a President SHOULD have his VP as involved as Cheney has been. Assign him a task(s) that the Prez might not want to spend time on himself.
Anyway, my opinion of Biden isn’t high. Less is more when it comes to him having any influence on policy. And presumably we will have some neophyte take his Senate seat – discarding his 35+ years of influence and related relationships in that institution.