 
President
Xi Jinping showed the world a newly assertive China that's less worried
about impressing others than in pursuing its own goals as he approved
agreements with the U.S.
U.S. and China Reach Energy and Global Warming Deal to Cut Carbon Emissions
Bloomberg NewsXi Shows Obama His No-Nonsense Approach to U.S. Relations
President Xi Jinping showed the
world a newly assertive China that’s less worried about
impressing others than in pursuing its own goals as he approved
agreements with the U.S. on climate change and trade tariffs.
Deals announced during President Barack Obama’s state visit
to China this week, also including visa processing and military
coordination, demonstrated that China under Xi isn’t afraid to
say “yes” to Western leaders when it is in its interests. On climate, Xi took a step his nation had long resisted, agreeing to cap its carbon emissions by 2030 -- not because Obama asked him to, but because pollution is killing his people and driving away global business. At the same time, Xi showed he won’t hesitate to say “no” when it suits him -- such as when he informed Obama that Hong Kong protests were China’s business alone. After enduring what Chinese officials call the century of humiliation at the hands of foreigners, China now is powerful enough -- and confident enough -- to chart its own path with less need to bend to the demands of others. “In the past, we always said China wanted good relations with the outside world to support its economic agenda,” said Joseph Fewsmith, a professor at Boston University who studies China’s leadership. “That logic has changed.” Altering DynamicsRising nationalism, growing prosperity, military muscle and a thirst to claim what China sees as its rightful place in world affairs has altered “the dynamic of the relationship,” Fewsmith said.Prior to this week’s summits, Xi refused to attend a United Nations climate meeting in New York in September that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon planned as a capstone for the annual General Assembly gathering. Xi waited until Obama and other world leaders were on his turf, in Beijing, before announcing what China would do. Xi, who has centralized power more than any Chinese leader in 25 years, is the embodiment of that change, and it was on display at a joint appearance today of the U.S. and Chinese leaders. The U.S. president stood tall and angular. His Chinese host, thicker around the middle, had his feet spread and rocked slightly on his heels. Though both men looked entirely at home in the spotlight, there was no sign of personal warmth. Sunnylands MeetingTheir statements to reporters in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, home to China’s rubber-stamp parliament, were intended to cap Obama’s visit, a bookend to last year’s summit in the U.S.That 2013 informal get-together at the Sunnylands estate in Palm Springs, California, was a shirtsleeves affair intended to foster a personal closeness between the leaders. If they bonded, there was no evidence of it at the lecterns today. Obama teased a New York Times reporter for asking a lengthy, three-part question. Between Obama and Xi, however, there was no banter. Even when Obama quoted a familiar aphorism from one of Xi’s predecessors -- Deng Xiaoping’s invocation to “seek truth from facts” -- Xi betrayed no sign of appreciation. In earlier phases of China’s rise, the country’s leaders enjoyed playing to American audiences. On a 1979 visit to the U.S., Deng attended a rodeo and charmed his Texas hosts by donning an oversized Stetson. His successor, Jiang Zemin, enjoyed crooning “Old Man River.” Nothing PersonalXi’s approach isn’t personal. He seeks to impress with China’s growing strength. Obama was shown the evidence everywhere during his three days in Beijing.The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit was held at a new conference center built for the occasion at Yanqi Lake, north of the smoggy capital. A new Kempinski Hotel on the property looks like an oblong spaceship that crash-landed on its side. The conference facilities were frosted with sweeping roofs that echoed traditional Chinese architecture. Last night, Obama’s motorcade was directed along a winding route that showed off both modern Beijing’s affluence and its ancient cultural treasures. Since 2005, China’s economy has more than doubled in real terms while U.S output has grown almost 11 percent. As China -- with four times the U.S. population -- grows ever more powerful, the challenge as seen in U.S. public opinion is genuine. Fifty-seven percent of Americans consider China an adversary or serious problem for the U.S., according to a Pew Research Center poll on March 20-23. Overstated PowerYet China’s growing muscle may be overstated in reality.For one thing, its continued rise is no sure thing: The country is trying to overhaul its economic model, deal with a shrinking labor force, cope with ethnic tensions and ameliorate staggering environmental damage.
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Wednesday, November 12, 2014
ABC News Xi Shows Obama His No-Nonsense Approach to US Relations
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