|
US sees broad, responsible role for China
(USA TODAY)
Updated: 2006-01-25 09:08
It is time for China to become a more responsible global player, U.S. Deputy
Secretary of State Robert Zoellick told his Chinese hosts on Tuesday.
China's "size and success" mean it cannot "just concentrate on problems at
home," Zoellick said to reporters in China's capital. "I am here to suggest how
China could play a very positive role in the international system."
As the fastest-growing economy in the world, China's reach is starting to
match its giant size. On key issues like energy, counter-terrorism and nuclear
non-proliferation, the State Department hopes China will use its new weight in a
responsible way. "China's success and accomplishments make it an influential
player in the global system," Zoellick said. "It's important that China see the
possibilities of sustaining and building that system from which it benefits a
great deal."
Zoellick's two-day trip aims to lock China into the "stakeholder" concept he
outlined in a September 2005 speech titled, "Whither China: From Membership to
Responsibility." The speech, widely studied in China, highlights the new
direction the State Department hopes Sino-US relations will take and the
difficulty of getting there.
U.S. Deputy
Secretary of State Robert Zoellick speaks at a news conference in Beijing
January 24, 2006. Zoellick was in Beijing on Tuesday to hold talks with
senior Chinese officials and expected to cover nuclear standoffs with Iran
and North Korea. [Reuters] |
Doubts remain over how far the new rhetoric translates into action. "Both
sides have made a lot of nice speeches in recent months," says Shi Yinhong, a
professor of International Relations at People's University in Beijing. "But
they have not taken substantial steps to really deal with concrete disputes."
The list of potential disputes includes the large bilateral trade imbalance,
the need for further revaluation of China's yuan currency and China's stance
over the possible nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea. "China's leadership
was happy to hear the concept of "stakeholder" as it shows America recognizes
China's increasing role in the world," says Shi. But less attention was paid to
the "responsible" role of that stakeholder, as "the rest of the speech
criticized China on a range of issues." Both sides have "a distance of
expectation," he says.
Zoellick hopes his initiative offers a framework on which to promote
Sino-U.S. relations, widely tipped as this century's key bilateral relationship.
"The words 'stakeholder' upgraded China's status in foreign relations and the
global system," says Chu Shulong, director of the Strategy Research Institute at
Tsinghua University, also in Beijing. "The only uncertainty in Chinese circles
is whether it represents the ideas of the administration. Does the key term
'stakeholder' also represent the ideas of Secretary (of State Condoleezza) Rice,
or the thinking of the President himself?"
In meetings Tuesday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told Zoellick that China
hopes the strategic dialogue will "improve mutual understanding and mutual
trust." Chu predicts a smooth ride, in the short-term. "America's strategic
intention and concern is not China, but in Iraq, Afghanistan and the war on
terrorism," Chu says. "America needs China's cooperation in these areas, so I
see smooth, positive development of relations in the year ahead."
Also Tuesday, China and the United States confirmed that Chinese President Hu
Jintao will make his first official visit to Washington, delayed from September
by Hurricane Katrina, in April.
Zoellick heads today to the southwestern city of Chengdu, where he will visit
a panda reserve.
|
