President Bush has departed for Asia on a trip that will allow him to visit American allies en route to the Olympics in China. Although I alway assumed that President Bush would attend the opening ceremonies, I was not surprised that there were early calls for Bush to boycott the event. The U.S. relationship with China seems to be top-heavy with the hot-button issues of human rights, conditions in Tibet, the war in Darfur, and their support for undemocratic regimes like Sudan. The U.S. – China relationship though is also stabilized by long term economic and strategic interests. The U.S. wants to maintain access to a growing Chinese market, and secure Chinese support on the world stage for important initiatives before the U.N. Security Council, most notably a further round of sanctions on Iran. In this Washington Post report (Bush Says It's ‘Important to Engage’ China), President Bush makes the case for deeper engagement with China:
During a half-hour interview in his private office aboard Air Force One, Bush emphasized that it is “important to engage the Chinese” — a striking comment for a president who came to office with aides depicting China as a “strategic competitor” and surrounded by hawks who looked suspiciously upon the Chinese government. Even critics of the president say he has emerged as an unexpected diplomat with China, conducting a personal campaign to woo the senior Chinese leadership.
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Over the course of his administration, Bush has delivered for China in important and unexpected ways: A president who in his early days made a guarantee to defend Taiwan later warned the island against declaring independence and has established what China experts see as a de facto freeze on arms sales to Taiwan. After angering China by labeling North Korea part of an “axis of evil,” Bush led a diplomatic initiative aimed at cooling tensions on the Korean Peninsula. While critical of China on human rights, Bush has not hectored authorities in Beijing. authorities.
He and his advisers say his approach has paid off: The United States has secured Chinese help on North Korea and Iran while avoiding a blowup in the Taiwan Strait, despite the intense passions and military buildups on both sides.
I expect to see President Bush raise a variety of human rights issues in his public statements during his visit to China but I also expect that the majority of his meetings with Chinese officials and business leaders on both sides to reflect the growing importance of the strategic and economic ties between the two countries. In a reflection of these growing ties, Bush will attend the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Beijing, a huge new modern office tower that will be the largest U.S. embassy in the world after the new Baghdad embassy.
Given U.S. investment in China over many generations (economic, social, and religious) I support Bush's attendance at the Olympic opening ceremonies and hope that he and the other U.S. representatives (including the U.S. Olympic team) contribute to an event which enhances China's ties to the U.S., moving them beyond calculated benefits into the realm of genuine good will. And in the final analysis, isn't that what the Olympics is all about?
