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Introduction: The U.S. and China: Forging a New Relationship
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10710 |
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CURRENT ISSUES
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6 / 1993 |
596 Words |
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Four years after the Tiananmen Square massacre, a new U.S. president and the final days of China's paramount leader signal a new chapter in the often tumultuous U.S.-China relationship.
Modifying the usually accommodating approach of his predecessor, President Clinton has directed his administration to tackle more seriously problems like: (a) the widening trade balance between the two nations that is expected to top $20 billion in China's favor this year; (2) China's continuing sale of modern weapons to the Middle East as well as its own military buildup; and (3) China's continuing violations of human rights, especially its network of labor camps that contain an estimated 10 million prisoners.
Meanwhile, Deng Xiaoping moves ahead on the twin tracks of economic liberalization and political repression, gambling that he can travel both at the same time. While young intellectuals quietly keep alive the memory of Tiananmen, increasing numbers of Chinese (including Communist Party members) seek the good life through entrepreneurship. People in and out of China wonder: Will Deng's successor be able to hold China together?
James Lilley, former U.S. ambassador to China and now a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, urges the Clinton administration to adopt a constructive rather than a confrontational approach toward China. On trade, he says, the basic agreements on such issues as market access and prison-labor exports are in place--it remains for them to be implemented.
On human rights, Lilley argues, Taiwan and Hong Kong are not pawns in a power game but entities in their own right and ought to be supported. Militarily, China is a major force in Asia because of its size and rapid expansion. Here again, he recommends that we engage rather than isolate China, avoiding the emotional ups and downs of the past.
Observes increasingly wonder whether the Chinese government can maintain its balancing act or will be forced to choose between reining in the economy or allowing political reforms. June Teufel Dreyer of the University of Miami suggests the answer may be provided by whoever succeeds Deng, nearing his 90th birthday.
Meanwhile, the ability of Guangdong and other coastal provinces to modify Beijing's policies, says Dreyer, along with the new assertiveness of workers, peasants, and intellectuals underscore a growing independence throughout the
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