ALL ROADS lead to Rome – that was the saying during the heyday of the Roman Empire. On Monday, November 16, 09, when President Obama of USA and President Hu Jintao of China met, talked and had dinner together in the State Guest House, the world watchers say that all roads lead to Beijing. President Hu Jintao brought a pleasing smile on President Obama’s face when he said that the American President’s interaction with the students in Shanghai was “a lively one.”
In the interest of maintaining a congenial atmosphere for formal talks between the two next day, November 17, the Chinese leader did not make a mention of the honoured guest treading on the Chinese toes by laying an emphasis on lifting censorship on the flow of information on the Internet two ways, to and from China. The American President hammered the point by saying that his successful election campaign and entry into the White House was powered by the use of the Internet.
In a town hall type environment, the Chinese students put questions and got answers on a live televised show in Shanghai. The national network of China also put it on the air but reports say that the picture was shaky and the audio garbled. Nevertheless, the smiling faces of Chinese students showed that they enjoyed the session thoroughly. President Clinton and President Bush too had similar sessions with the students but Obama’s chat was quite lively. As it is Obama enjoys a special kind of popularity in china as he was raised in Indonesia and educated in Hawaii acquiring a Pacific-Asian character different from the previous white American Presidents.
President Obama described the Internet again and again as a source of strength and power both to the individual and the state. He also advised the policy makers in China, through the chat with the students, to be sporting and take a bit of criticism too. On his part, Obama also retraced a step in not mentioning Tibet and rights of freedom of the Tibetans and did not make an appointment for meeting the Tibetan Spiritual Leader, Dalai Lama in the near future. The international observers of the Sino-American relationship have criticised President Obama for going soft on the human rights poor record of China. Possibly President Obama has a larger picture of world peace and the ever enlarging trade between the two countries in mind.
Talking of trade, it may be mentioned that China has a large trade balance in her favour. America has been having monopoly in manufacture and export of highly technical equipment and some sophisticated armaments too. It is this angle that has prevented the trade balance from swinging to China’s favour.
Of course, America has always been reluctant in transferring technology of sophisticated weapon system. Although China unveiled its indigenously designed, manufactured and tested new generation jet fighter in the 60th anniversary parade on Tíen An Men square but it falls short in some respects like detection, location and destruction of enemy targets at a long distance. Obviously, the American technology has a distinct edge over the Chinese product.
China has a trade balance in her favour against America in the marketing of consumer goods. The American market is flooded with the Chinese goods and every American home has a fair share of these goods despite anti-publicity on the use of unhealthy colours and paints on children’s toys. Many a time the consignments of the Chinese goods were returned unopened because of these deficiencies. It, however, did not sour the overall relationship between America and China.
The attention of the world is now focussed on what the two leaders are going to discuss about Peace, Global warming and bringing cheer without a tear to the neglected sections of the humanity. We will wait for their joint communiqué before President Obama flies out of Beijing on his way to Seoul, South Korea.
