Thursday, Jul 24, 2008
Jonathan Broder interviews former China ambassador James Lilley about the stategic issues that bind China and the U.S.
Jun 26, 1998 | President Clinton's controversial visit to China began Thursday with an imperial welcome and a speech in which he wasted no time in pontificating on the importance of human rights. Speaking in the ancient city of Xian, Clinton's first stop on his nine-day visit, the president spoke of America's "respect for the worth, the dignity, the potential and the freedom of every citizen" as the "vital source of America's strength and success." Clinton then added: "In this global information age, where both economic growth and equal opportunity are based on ideas, a commitment to providing all human beings the opportunity to develop their full potential is vital to the strength and success of the new China as well."
It was a gentle lecture, the first of several speeches Clinton will deliver stressing the importance of human rights. Clinton's early mention reflects the political controversy that continues to surround his China policy back home. Even as the president spoke in Xian, Republicans in Congress continued to criticize the administration's emphasis on trade and pressed ahead with their investigations into civilian missile technology transfers that may have aided in the modernization of the Chinese military. From Xian, Clinton is scheduled to visit a small village, then travel to Beijing, where he will be welcomed at Tiananmen Square -- the site of the 1989 massacre of pro-democracy activists. Over the weekend, Clinton's summit talks with Chinese President Jiang Zemin will begin.
Observing this spectacle with a keen but unsentimental eye is former U.S. diplomat James Lilley, whose ambassadorial postings have included China, Korea and Taiwan. Salon spoke to Lilley, who now heads the China studies program at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C.
What are the things this summit should concentrate on?
What they should concentrate on, in my view, is the dangerously unstable regime of North Korea, the new nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan, and the Asian economic meltdown. Those are the keys issues we're facing in that part of the world, issues of war and peace, survival and prosperity.
Is the rest of the agenda -- human rights, trade, Taiwan -- all secondary?
You can expect the Chinese to push Taiwan, as they always do, and Clinton will give a few speeches about human rights. There will also be some progress on the sweetheart issues -- environment, anti-terrorism and anti-drugs. But above all, this summit will be about hype, the biggest you've ever seen. On the American side, it's primarily going to be Clinton amid 2,000 years of Chinese civilization in Xian, Clinton on the Great Wall, Clinton in the Great Hall of the People, Clinton in Guilin, Clinton in Shanghai, the great new metropolis of Asia. The message will be: Clinton has a China policy. The Americans are on top of it.
On the Chinese side, it's going to be: "We can manage the Americans. Just look at the way Jiang Zemin handles them." So you see, the hype goes both ways.
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