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Why Rumsfeld wants to engage
China
By Andrew Tully
WASHINGTON - US Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld's willingness to resume military contacts
with China comes at a time of what appears to be
increasing tension between the two countries.
China recently issued a report expressing concern
about the US military presence in the Pacific
Ocean, and it described as "grim" the security
situation in the strait that separates China and
Taiwan - an island Beijing calls a "renegade
province".
But some observers say such
differences are not the reason Rumsfeld is
interested in visiting China.
James
Lilley, a former US ambassador to China, says
Rumsfeld has avoided such trips until now because
he feels the Chinese tend to get more out of the
bilateral relationship than the Americans do.
Chinese officials "come over here [to the
US], and we show them a great deal", Lilley said.
"We go over there, and we see almost nothing. And
Rumsfeld says, 'This is not the way to do
business. It isn't a series of banquets in which
toasts are made and nothing is done.' He wants to
go over there and say, 'What are we going to do
specifically to advance this relationship? What
are we going to do, let's say, about
counter-terrorism? How do we avoid another Hainan
[spy-plane] incident?' He doesn't want to be
waltzed around, which is [the Chinese] tendency."
According to Lilley, Rumsfeld evidently
now believes his meetings with the Chinese will be
more constructive and less social. Lilley also
noted that the Pentagon has expressed concern
about the recent Chinese report on the US presence
in the Pacific and its critical statements about
Taiwan. But he said observers should be careful
not to interpret it as a sign of impending crisis.
"Yes, there's been a slight escalation of
purple prose in their White Paper [government
report]," Lilley said. "The Chinese have an old
expression: 'Words surpass reality'. Words are
part of the great game. I don't mean I dismiss
their concerns about Taiwan. I'm just saying,
don't go after the latest swearing match that came
out of Beijing and take that as their new
position."
Rumsfeld's announced plans come
at a time of increased complications - and even
"contradictions", as Lilley calls them - in the
relations between China and the United States. On
the one hand, China has released details of the
cases of 56 prisoners it holds - some political
prisoners, some accused spies. The move is seen as
a way to improve Beijing's reputation on human
rights in advance of next month's meeting of the
United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
The United States is considering whether
to demand that the commission pass a resolution
criticizing China. The State Department said it
had seen the document on the Chinese prisoners,
but had no comment on it. It also said Washington
has not yet decided whether to press for the
resolution on China.
At the same time, a
bipartisan group from the US House of
Representatives is introducing a bill that would
repeal the Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR)
status that Congress granted China in 2000. Until
then, China had what was called "most favored
nation" status, which Congress had to renew each
year, usually after bitter debate.
In
announcing the new proposal this week, the House
members noted that trade with China accounts for
nearly one-quarter of the US$600 billion US trade
deficit. They also said it leaves many Americans
unemployed and that to preserve good trade
relations with China, US officials ignore Chinese
piracy of US intellectual property.
One of
the measure's sponsors, Representative Peter
DeFazio, said he hopes his colleagues in Congress
restore trade fairness. "American workers cannot -
and should not have to - compete with a country
[China] that allows companies, many with
government sanction, to pirate our goods and
violate international trade agreements," DeFazio
said. "So it's time that we applied pressure back
on China, and the way we could do that is to go
back to an annual discussion in Congress and an
authorization - or a denial - of favored-nation
status."
Lilley agreed that the United
States cannot simply let China take advantage of
trade imbalances, but he said repealing PNTR - or
even threatening it - is the wrong approach.
"The only way you're going to get progress
on trade is to make it hurt for them more to do
one thing than another," Lilley said. "If you have
tantrums, if you do threats, the past record is:
It doesn't work very well. Taking away Permanent
Normal Trading Relations could be considered a
shot across their bow. But the Chinese know you
aren't going to deliver on it because the American
business community would be up in arms."
In pressing for PNTR, and for admitting
China into the World Trade Organization, the
administration of Bush's predecessor, Bill
Clinton, argued that these moves would force China
to do business under strict rules that likely
would have influence on other aspects of its civic
life, including human rights.
Lilley said
pressing China to obey these rules would be the
best way for Washington to confront China on trade
issues.
Copyright (c) 2005, RFE/RL Inc.
Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW,
Washington, DC 20036. |
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