Obama’s Chinese Balance Sheet
On balance, Obama’s first trip to China achieved relatively little. Moreover, what he did achieve looks superficial, while what he gave up – concessions on China's political prisoners or its exchange-rate policy - seems substantial.
CAMBRIDGE, UK – US President Barack Obama’s first trip to China was like a splendid stage play. The performance was long rehearsed in both Washington and Beijing, because both governments needed at least the appearance of a successful visit. China’s ruling Communist Party needed Obama’s unequivocal endorsement of China’s increasingly important international role in order to buttress its domestic legitimacy. The US needed China’s cooperation to demonstrate the effectiveness of Obama’s new strategy of collaborative global leadership.
CAMBRIDGE, UK – US President Barack Obama’s first trip to China was like a splendid stage play. The performance was long rehearsed in both Washington and Beijing, because both governments needed at least the appearance of a successful visit. China’s ruling Communist Party needed Obama’s unequivocal endorsement of China’s increasingly important international role in order to buttress its domestic legitimacy. The US needed China’s cooperation to demonstrate the effectiveness of Obama’s new strategy of collaborative global leadership.