The US president is not expected to weigh in heavily on human rights issues, writes CLIFFORD COONANin Beijing
CLIMATE CHANGE, trade and human rights are likely to feature on the agenda when Barack Obama comes to China for the first time as US president later this week, but Mr Obama will steer clear of confrontation as he seeks to keep strong Sino- American relations on track.
Mr Obama’s nine-day Asian trip will take him to Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea. China’s emerging economic and global power means it will be the key stage of his mission.
The White House has already said he will raise the difficult issue of whether China’s yuan currency is undervalued, but he will also try to enlist Beijing’s help on global economic recovery and on burning security issues, such as the deflation of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and dealing with Iran.
“I see China as a vital partner, as well as a competitor . . . together we are encouraging responsible behaviour around the world,” Mr Obama said in an interview with Reuters.
“And on critical issues, whether climate change, economic recovery, nuclear non- proliferation, it’s very hard to see how we succeed or China succeeds in our respective goals without working together. That is, I think, the purpose of the strategic partnership and that’s why this trip to China is going to be so important.”
Although this is his first trip to China, Mr Obama has already met President Hu Jintao three times. Talks with the Chinese leadership will focus on issues where the US and China can find agreement, such as climate change and matching China’s growing economic might with global political clout.
Mr Obama’s first stop will be Japan, still Asia’s economic powerhouse – barely – despite China’s rise. While the US’s staunchest ally in the region, it is looking primarily to boost relations with China and other Asian nations rather than expand ties with the US.
The president will also attend a summit of Asian leaders in Singapore and will visit South Korea, where North Korea’s nuclear ambitions are set to dominate talks.
Mr Obama is not expected to weigh in heavily on China’s human rights, although he insists he will not soft-pedal the issue either, saying he had brought up the subject in past meetings with Chinese officials and would do so again during the visit.
“We believe in the values of freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion, that are not just core American values but we believe are universal values,” he said.
David Shambaugh, a professor of international relations at George Washington University, wrote in China’s Global Times newspaper: “It is time for two things to occur: first, the West should recognise more clearly the positive contributions China is already making to global governance. Second, it is time for China to more deeply engage with the most sensitive security issues of the day.
“The summit discussions between Obama and Hu are a good place to begin,” he said.
US ambassador to China Jon Huntsman told the Xinhua news agency that the visit would “continue the most important bilateral relationship in the world by taking it to new heights and solidifying the relationship”.
Much of the groundwork for the trip was laid by secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton when Mr Obama sent her to China on her first official trip abroad. She had to endure barbed comments about US economic weakness and the effect that was having on treasury bonds, of which China is a major buyer.
Mr Obama is likely to remind China that despite its remarkable advances, the US remains the world’s economic and military superpower.