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Is China ready to take over as the next world power... 11/17/2009 6:36:29 AM
The US and China pledged to intensify co-operation on the economy, climate change and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons after several hours of talks between Presidents Barack Obama and Hu Jintao, but little concrete progress was made on the issues that divide them.
Speaking together at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing after the meeting on Tuesday, Mr Obama and Mr Hu talked at length about the common interests the two countries now shared and described the relations as “comprehensive”.
“I do not believe that any one country’s success can come at the expense of another,” said Mr Obama during his first visit to China.
Coming at a time when Chinese prestige is growing and the US is facing enormous difficulties, Mr Obama’s trip has seemed to symbolise the advent of a more multi-polar world where US leadership has to co-exist with several rising powers, most notably China.
Although the encounter had been billed as a press conference, the two leaders did not take any questions from the media and made only prepared statements, adding to the impression that Mr Obama’s visit was one of the most tightly scripted in recent memory, frustrating his hopes to speak more directly to the Chinese people.
On Iran, where the US has been pushing China to take a harder line against Tehran, Mr Obama spoke with stronger language.
“We agreed that the Islamic Republic of Iran must provide assurances to the international community that its nuclear programme is peaceful and transparent,” he said. “Iran has an opportunity to present and demonstrate its peaceful intentions but if it fails to take this opportunity, there will be consequences.” Mr Hu said it was important to try to resolve the issue through negotiations.
The two leaders, both dressed in the modern politician’s uniform of dark suit, white shirt and red tie, said they would expand co-operation on environmental issues, including energy efficiency, electric vehicles and cleaner uses of coal.
Mr Obama said that climate talks in Copenhagen next month should establish a new deal with “immediate operational effect”, even if an original goal of a legally binding pact was now unlikely.
“Our aim ... is not a partial accord or a political declaration but rather an accord that covers all of the issues in the negotiations and one that has immediate operational effect,” he said of the climate talks.
Mr Hu stressed joint efforts to ensure a global recovery from the financial crisis. “We reiterated that we will continue to increase dialogue and co-operation on macroeconomic and financial policies and continue to consult, on an equal footing, to properly resolve and address economic and trade frictions,” he said.
In the one mention of the ongoing controversy over China’s exchange rate policies, Mr Obama said: “I was pleased to note the Chinese commitment made in past statements to move toward a more market-oriented exchange rate over time.”
There were minor hints of discord, such as when Mr Hu pointedly called on both governments to refrain from protectionism in response to the global financial crisis, a veiled criticism of recent US trade measures on Chinese steel pipes and tyres. “I stressed to President Obama that under the current circumstances our two countries need to oppose all kinds of trade protectionism even more strongly,” he said.
Mr Obama acknowledged that Tibet was part of China but also called for “an early resumption of dialogue between the Chinese government and the representatives of the Dalai Lama to resolve any concerns and differences that the two sides may have”.
Is it time China will be called the new world power and the USA take a back seat?
