Democrats

President Obama In China

November 18, 2009 ⋅  E-Mail Article ⋅ ⋅ Post a comment

President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao are speaking about shared responsibilities and economic opportunities but many American voters think that it is nothing more than lip service and that nothing of any real substance is occurring for Americans based on the American Presidents trip to China. Reportedly trade, nuclear proliferation, human rights, and economic policies were all issues which were addressed during the talks between Chinese President Hu Jintao and American President Barack Obama but numerous Washington insiders said these talks were going to be very one sided before the talks occurred and many insiders as well as observers say the results from the talks are just what they expected, not much of anything in regards to resolving any of the issues that were discussed. It appears that both sides have agreed to disagree and leave it at that as they move on to discuss other issues which will not get resolved as well. One issue of particular note to American voters is the two Presidents discussions on trade. Chinese President Hu called for Beijing and Washington to build a strong partnership in the 21st century and stated, “Our two countries need to oppose and reject protectionism and all its manifestations.” That seems to be a very interesting statement when you consider the trade imbalance China has with the United States and the difficulties American businesses have in shipping their products into China as compared to Chinese imports coming into the United States. In addition, China usually requires, or subversively encourages, a domestic presence for companies who sell products in China, conversely the United States does not, so you tell me, and the other concerned American voters, who appears to be acting like a protectionist more, the United States or China? One can see how voter sentiment favoring protectionism has grown in the United States, as hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese products pour in to the country every year. Many economists say that the imported products are actually Chinese goods created artificially cheap with their own governments’ assistance which give their companies an unfair economic advantage at the expense of American jobs. American voters are also concerned that China, which is an important player in the diplomatic showdowns over nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, is not being active enough in efforts designed to slow down nuclear proliferation and in particular the recent nuclear issues with Iran and North Korea. Many American voters cannot see why building a relationship with a country that has so many adverse policies is so important to the Obama Administration.  President Hu addressed some of these concerns by stating that his country is dedicated to dialogue designed to work toward denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, adding that nuclear non-proliferation in Asia and the Persian Gulf is important. However, many say this is only political speak and that nothing of real substance is occurring from China on the nuclear non-proliferation issues. Voters, and consumers, are also growing in concern about Chinese workers and citizens human rights. The issue of human rights has been a long standing sticking point between Beijing and Washington but with the global spotlight focusing on China more and more, the issue is becoming larger and larger. A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released recently showed that 51 percent of the American public considers China a military threat, with 47 percent disagreeing. The 4 point margin is within the poll’s 4.5 percent sampling error. According to the survey, two-thirds see China as a source of unfair competition for U.S. companies, while only a quarter are more likely to view China as a huge potential market for U.S. goods. This statistic goes in lien with voter sentiments on issues towards economics and current economic policy and if incumbent politicians do not want to be voted out then they better address these concerns. We also have Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urging the United States to keep its deficit to an ‘ appropriate size.’ Maybe voters are outraged by this comment and they want to let the Chinese Premier know that they feel that many of Americans woes are based on the economic policies of China and they want their politicians to carry the words from them to the economic policy makers for the United States as well as China. Recently IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn reiterated the call for addressing Chinese economic policy when he discussed the need for China to allow its currency to rise, he stated, “Allowing the renminbi and other Asian currencies to rise would help increase the purchasing power of households, raise the labor share of income, and provide the right incentives to reorient investment…Higher Chinese domestic demand, along with higher US saving, will help rebalance world demand and assure a healthier global economy for us all.” Many global economists say that a revaluation, or an allowance of true valuation, by China would greatly help alleviate issues associated with economic imbalances and potential causes of the current, and future, economic crises. Many economists say that China keeps the renminbi pegged to the dollar and, thus, artificially low, and many say this is how China is able to not only compete but thrive in the global economic environment. One leading European economist sated last week that China exports jobs along with their unemployment concerns and the artificially low Chinese currency is the tool which allows the process to occur. CNN has several good voter polls which many voters are utilizing to voice their politician concerns and I encourage you to view them and participate.

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