Tuesday, January 18, 2011

HU JINTAO’S FOUR DAY VISIT TO USA

Apart from the official bonhomie, both US and China after entering into serious talks both had to take divergent views on several matters. Chinese President Hu Jintao and his US counterpart took entirely different stands on matters relating to different matters concerning bilateral relations.
For instance on matters relating to Human rights violations in China though Hu Jintao agreed partially with Obama, like ‘yes some violations are there’ like casual remarks he made it clear that his country would not brook any external interference over such matters. While US President raked up the issue actually what was prominent in his mind was the 11 year term imprisonment of Nobel Prize Winner for Peace 2010, Liu-Xia-Bao in a Chinese prison. But no, China chose not to make any reference to it, on the other hand didn’t outrightly deny human rights violation charges. True, in the top echelons of the Communist Party of China (CPC) differences of opinion exist over human rights violations and it had already spilled out into the outside world while Party plenum was underway about six months before. Economic freedom alone won’t suffice with more and more Chinese citizens demanding more individual freedom, freedom of speech and expression, freedom to organise one day the leadership will have to cow down to internal as well as external pressures. It is not China alone facing human rights problems wherever individual liberties are curtailed, for example Myanmar, Sudan to be precise wherever dictatorship prevails, the demands for freedom are raised.
The other issue, both countries touched upon was Chinese currency Yuan. US treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner wanted nominal rise in value of Chinese Yuan as against China’s existing policy. He reportedly advised China for reining in inflation the nominal increase in exchange value is a must. Actually China’s policy of depreciation of its currency adversely affects America causing trade imbalance between the two countries and that is the actual reason behind his advice to China. How far China will go in the direction of American advice something worth watching.
Both have entered into export deals worth US $45 billion including sale of 200 Boeing aircraft which would help US by the way of helping 2,35000 employment opportunities in US.
Tibetan issue also came up for discussion between both nations. US prevailed upon China to enter into dialogue with Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama and wanted Chin to do all that is possible to protect the cultural and religious identities of Tibetans. China might have given a patient hearing to American advice and that is all, as Dalai Lama is considered as the proclaimed enemy of China and will in no way enter into a dialogue with the Tibetan Spiritual leader. Moreover China’s annexation of Tibet led to Dalai Lama fleeing Tibet to India while Pandit Nehru was India’s PM. The Dalai Lama issue was the primary reason behind China attacking India in 1962 without any provocation from India’s part. Now China considers Tibet to b an integral part of it that US also agree and we can very well take it for granted that China won’t succumb to US pressure.
Taiwan issue is another core issue between China and America. China won’t take it kindly to either India, US or any other nation extending logistical support to Taiwan and in the event of that China will lodge its protest then and there.
The visit of Chinese President to US is certainly poised for a give and take measure with either China or US walking away by emerging a single beneficiary when the chips are down.
Either China or US has conveniently or both have collectively cared not to dwell upon the North Korean imbroglio and the Pakistani turmoil for reasons best known to each. North Korea is China’s little brother and Pakistan though as US and China are aware the epicenter of terrorism it is of strategic importance to both. Human rights, human rights violations all serious words worth mouthing the ugly bewildering words ‘terrorism’ ‘explosions’ and ‘assassinations’ both hesitate to talk much about.

No comments: