PRC President Hu Jintao visits the USA
- Thread starter bd popeye
- Start date
Chinese President to Hear Earful From Lawmakers
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR
Chinese President Hu Jintao may be on a bit of a high after Wednesday night’s elaborate state dinner in his honor at the White House, complete with Maine lobster and aged rib-eye.
But that’s about to fade quickly.
He heads Thursday to Capitol Hill, where he is likely to get a chillier reception from lawmakers concerned that his country’s economic policies are in some measure responsible for the jobs crisis in America.
He will also face lawmakers who accuse his country of a poor human rights record that includes the country’s crackdown on dissidents in Tibet. Many of them characterize China as an autocratic country bent on imprisoning its political adversaries.
Even before his arrival at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue for meetings with some of the congressional leadership, Mr. Hu was the target of raw rhetoric from both parties on Capitol Hill.
Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat of New York, told reporters that “we can’t afford to keep losing jobs and wealth” to China because of its currency exchange rate, which Beijing has been accused of keeping artificially low to favor its manufacturers and exporters. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic majority leader, called Mr. Hu a “dictator” during a radio interview, though he later said he could have picked a better word.
On CNN, Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican congressman from California, called China a “gangster regime that murders their own people and should be treated in that way.”
The human rights concerns among lawmakers are longstanding and they were echoed — if more delicately — by the Obama administration during the talks between Mr. Obama and Mr. Hu on Wednesday.
But for American lawmakers, it is China’s emergence as a global economic power that has turned the country into a key target of the ire that many of their constituents feel about the shifting of jobs overseas.
Throughout the 2010 midterm election campaign, China’s efforts to manipulate its currency came under harsh criticism from congressional candidates as they sought to curry favor with voters.
In West Virginia, Spike Maynard, a Republican House challenger, aired a television ad that featured a Chinese flag and accused the incumbent Democrat Nick Rahall of supporting tax breaks that helped create Chinese jobs.
“It’s on our jeans, even children’s toys: ‘Made in China.’ As part of the Obama-Pelosi team, Rahall voted for a bill that led to billions in tax breaks for foreign companies creating Chinese jobs,” the ad said. (Rahall went on to win re-election.)
Throughout the campaign, candidates talked about the need for legislation to punish the Chinese for keeping the value of their currency low, which makes American goods more expensive in China. A bill passed in the House last year but died in the Senate.
Now several senators have introduced a new measure designed to impose new penalties on China and other countries that manipulate currency in unfair ways.
And the issue is likely to heat up further as the 2012 presidential campaign gets underway and China’s economic growth seems likely to continue outpacing the rest of the globe. On Thursday, China officially overtook Japan as the world’s second-largest economy, behind America.
The potential Republican candidates for president were quiet this week as Mr. Hu arrived in Washington. But several have talked about China in the past. Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, warned in a speech in 2009, “As China becomes stronger, China will be more tempted to achieve natural ambitions through aggressive tactics.”
Mr. Hu is scheduled to meet on Capitol Hill with Mr. Reid and with House Speaker John Boehner, both of whom declined invitations to attend the White House state dinner Wednesday night — decisions that some read as a snub aimed at the Chinese government.
Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, also did not attend the dinner, choosing instead to stay home in Kentucky for a full day of meetings in his district Thursday.
A news release sent out Thursday morning by Mr. Reid’s office said the topics of the discussion between the senator and Mr. Hu are likely to include “international trade, investment, Chinese currency, Iran, North Korea, climate change and human rights.”
That’s putting it mildly.
As long as their talks could buy them some votes, these lawmakers would not hesitate to make idiotic statements.
As Lawmakers Meet China’s Hu, Some Can Only Listen
By HELENE COOPER
There was not much give and take as President Hu Jintao of China met with House members this morning, according to those who were in attendance. Representative Kevin Brady, a Republican of Texas, called it “mostly speechifying.”
After a day of being toasted at the White House, Mr. Hu traveled to the chillier end of Pennsylvania Avenue on Thursday to meet with lawmakers waiting to take him to task over testy issues such as human rights to trade policy.
But the format of the meetings — lawmakers afterwards described a meeting with House leaders as stilted and formal – didn’t allow for quite as much barbed criticism as some of the congressional members apparently had hoped.
“We weren’t given a chance,” Rep. Sander Levin, Democrat of Michigan, said afterward.
He and other lawmakers said that Mr. Hu delivered prepared remarks lasting about 20 minutes. The only Representatives who spoke were John Boehner, the House speaker, and Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader. Mr. Boehner brought up issues involving trade and North Korea, and Ms. Pelosi brought up human rights issues, including the treatment of Liu Xiaobao, the Nobel Prize winner.
“I had a really detailed question prepared about the WTO government procurement agreement,” Rep. Charles Boustany, Republican of Louisiana, said afterwards, referring to the lengthy process involving China’s accession to the World Trade Organization government procurement agreement.
Among the other House members who attended were:
Eric Cantor (Republican Leader)
Kevin McCarthy (Republican Whip)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs)
Steny Hoyer (Democratic Whip)
Jim Clyburn (Democratic Assistant Leader)
Howard Berman (Ranking Democrat, Committee on Foreign Affairs)
It was never clear how sternly lawmakers might speak to Mr. Hu in private, but in public some of them have been a bit caustic, while others have been direct without stinging.
Mr. Boehner, in a statement after the House meeting, said: “China is now our second largest trading partner and will undoubtedly be a critical economic partner in the future. That’s why I believe it is important that we continue to resolve our differences in ways that benefit both of our countries and our people.
“In our meeting we addressed some of those challenges, including the need for stronger intellectual property protections in China and curtailing the aggressive behavior of North Korea.
“And finally, we raised our strong, ongoing concerns with reports of human rights violations in China, including the denial of religious freedom, and the use of coercive abortion as a consequence of the ‘one child’ policy. When it comes to guaranteeing the freedom and dignity of all her citizens, including and especially the unborn, Chinese leaders have a responsibility to do better, and the United States has a responsibility to hold them to account.”
On his way into today’s meeting with Senators, John McCain said, referring to the state dinner at the White House last night: “There’s a certain amount of irony that a Nobel Peace Prize winner should be hosting a dinner and last year’s Nobel Prize winner is under house arrest.”
U.S. Lawmakers Press Hu on Trade, Abortion
By MICHAEL R. CRITTENDEN, COREY BOLES And SIOBHAN HUGHES
WASHINGTON—U.S. lawmakers on Thursday pressed Chinese President Hu Jintao on a variety of sensitive issues, ranging from trade policies, human rights abuses and even abortion.
Mr. Hu's initial meeting with House lawmakers lasted roughly an hour, with Democratic Rep. Howard Berman of California saying the meeting was "very cordial but very direct."
Mr. Hu's subsequent meeting with Senators was shorter, but the Chinese president faced a question about the nation's currency, which U.S. lawmakers complain is kept artificially low.
Who's at the State Dinner Table?
Mr. Hu responded that "they have made some changes in the currency imbalance, but it's not that that's the problem, it's that we, China, are more productive" and "have lower labor costs," Sen. John McCain (R, Ariz.), told two reporters.
In Mr. Hu's morning meeting with House lawmakers, Mr. Berman said Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) engaged the Chinese president on his country's human-rights record, specifically the continued incarceration of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo and tensions with Tibet.
House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) issued a statement saying the group discussed a range of issues including the need for China to provide stronger intellectual property protections and curtail North Korea's aggressive behavior. It said the lawmakers "raised our strong, ongoing concerns with reports of human-rights violations in China, including the denial of religious freedom and the use of coercive abortion as a consequence of the 'one child' policy."
In a preview of Friday's "Big Interview," Dr. Henry Kissinger discusses China's emergence as a world power and what it implies for the U.S. economy, while stating that much of the U.S. economy's problems are homegrown.
Mr. Hu's meeting in the Capitol followed a day at the White House filled with toasts and talk of U.S.-China cooperation. At Wednesday night's state dinner, President Barack Obama and Mr. Hu exchanged toasts to "mutual respect" and "common responsibilities."
Mr. Hu arrived at the Capitol just before 9:40 a.m., entering through the southeast carriage doors of the Capitol building. Surrounded by a large security detail, he was quickly ushered into an elevator on his way to meetings with leaders from both the House and Senate.
In a nod to the sensitivity of the talks, Capitol Hill reporters—who were briefly ushered into the top of Mr. Hu's meeting with the Senate lawmakers and who are accustomed to talking face-to-face with lawmakers—were told that no questions were to be asked and that they would be escorted out for "misbehaving."
Hu Jintao Visits Washington
Protestors in favor of freeing Tibet and against China's President Hu Jintao marched in costume in front of the White House.
John Bussey discusses Chinese President Hu's scheduled address to Congress today, as well as China's GDP growth. Plus, Spain ramps up the bailout of its banks and the latest on GOP efforts to kill the health-care bill.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) said Mr. Boehner asked Mr. Hu about trade issues including what some lawmakers allege is China's lack of regard for intellectual property rights. Mr. Cantor said Mr. Hu acknowledged China had been "late to the game" on the intellectual property issue, but he said China was working aggressively to catch up.
Lawmakers have used the run-up to Mr. Hu's visit to list a litany of complaints about China's policies, particularly on the economic front. Roughly seven dozen House Republicans and Democrats signed a letter this week asking Mr. Obama to press the Chinese president on what Congress views as "persistent violation of international trade law."
"It is vital ... to impress upon President Hu that America's patience is near an end," the lawmakers wrote, noting that China's "unwillingness to play by the rules is unfairly shuttering U.S. businesses and putting Americans out of work."
On an interview for local television in Nevada on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) referred to the Chinese president as a "dictator." The top Senate Democrat then immediately tried to retract his statement, by saying: "Maybe I shouldn't have said 'dictator' but they have a different type of government than we have, that's an understatement."
While the White House and Mr. Obama have sought to cast the visit as part of an ever-growing dialogue between the two countries—the two leaders have met face-to-face eight times now—congressional leaders are seeking more concrete promises from China. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said Thursday morning ahead of the sit-down with Mr. Hu that China's currency policy and human-rights record were among the issues he would discuss with the Chinese president.
Lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol have stepped up efforts to target China's management of the yuan. The House last year easily passed a measure targeting China's currency policy, and on Monday a group of senators said they would introduce their own bill to address the issue. A new House bill could be released in the next few weeks, according to aides.
In addition to Mr. Reid, a number of prominent senators took part in the meetings, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D., Mass.) and the top Republican on the panel Sen. Richard Lugar (R, Ind.), as well as Sen. John McCain (R, Ariz.). On the House side, nearly a dozen lawmakers attended the meeting with Mr. Hu.
One notable absence among the senators scheduled to meet Mr. Hu was Sen. Charles Schumer, a frequent China critic who earlier this week predicted Congress in the coming months would pass legislation targeting China's management of the yuan. The New York Democrat said Monday the U.S. should seek to penalize China for manipulating its currency and later accused the country of hoarding rare-earth elements that are key to manufacturing goods in the technology and defense sector.
"The time for talk is over. We've had enough of China's empty verbiage," Mr. Schumer told reporters Monday.
The White House has generally offered a more conciliatory approach during Mr. Hu's visit, though Mr. Obama has noted a number of stark differences between the two countries. During a press conference Wednesday, the U.S. president stressed that China's rise among the world's top economies is good for the U.S., and, in a nod to American ambitions to increase exports, told Mr. Hu, "We want to sell you all kinds of stuff.:
As Lawmakers Meet China’s Hu, Some Can Only Listen
By HELENE COOPER
There was not much give and take as President Hu Jintao of China met with House members this morning, according to those who were in attendance. Representative Kevin Brady, a Republican of Texas, called it “mostly speechifying.”
After a day of being toasted at the White House, Mr. Hu traveled to the chillier end of Pennsylvania Avenue on Thursday to meet with lawmakers waiting to take him to task over testy issues such as human rights to trade policy.
But the format of the meetings — lawmakers afterwards described a meeting with House leaders as stilted and formal – didn’t allow for quite as much barbed criticism as some of the congressional members apparently had hoped.
“We weren’t given a chance,” Rep. Sander Levin, Democrat of Michigan, said afterward.
He and other lawmakers said that Mr. Hu delivered prepared remarks lasting about 20 minutes. The only Representatives who spoke were John Boehner, the House speaker, and Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader. Mr. Boehner brought up issues involving trade and North Korea, and Ms. Pelosi brought up human rights issues, including the treatment of Liu Xiaobao, the Nobel Prize winner.
“I had a really detailed question prepared about the WTO government procurement agreement,” Rep. Charles Boustany, Republican of Louisiana, said afterwards, referring to the lengthy process involving China’s accession to the World Trade Organization government procurement agreement.
Among the other House members who attended were:
Eric Cantor (Republican Leader)
Kevin McCarthy (Republican Whip)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs)
Steny Hoyer (Democratic Whip)
Jim Clyburn (Democratic Assistant Leader)
Howard Berman (Ranking Democrat, Committee on Foreign Affairs)
It was never clear how sternly lawmakers might speak to Mr. Hu in private, but in public some of them have been a bit caustic, while others have been direct without stinging.
Mr. Boehner, in a statement after the House meeting, said: “China is now our second largest trading partner and will undoubtedly be a critical economic partner in the future. That’s why I believe it is important that we continue to resolve our differences in ways that benefit both of our countries and our people.
“In our meeting we addressed some of those challenges, including the need for stronger intellectual property protections in China and curtailing the aggressive behavior of North Korea.
“And finally, we raised our strong, ongoing concerns with reports of human rights violations in China, including the denial of religious freedom, and the use of coercive abortion as a consequence of the ‘one child’ policy. When it comes to guaranteeing the freedom and dignity of all her citizens, including and especially the unborn, Chinese leaders have a responsibility to do better, and the United States has a responsibility to hold them to account.”
On his way into today’s meeting with Senators, John McCain said, referring to the state dinner at the White House last night: “There’s a certain amount of irony that a Nobel Peace Prize winner should be hosting a dinner and last year’s Nobel Prize winner is under house arrest.”
U.S. Lawmakers Press Hu on Trade, Abortion
By MICHAEL R. CRITTENDEN, COREY BOLES And SIOBHAN HUGHES
WASHINGTON—U.S. lawmakers on Thursday pressed Chinese President Hu Jintao on a variety of sensitive issues, ranging from trade policies, human rights abuses and even abortion.
Mr. Hu's initial meeting with House lawmakers lasted roughly an hour, with Democratic Rep. Howard Berman of California saying the meeting was "very cordial but very direct."
Mr. Hu's subsequent meeting with Senators was shorter, but the Chinese president faced a question about the nation's currency, which U.S. lawmakers complain is kept artificially low.
Who's at the State Dinner Table?
Mr. Hu responded that "they have made some changes in the currency imbalance, but it's not that that's the problem, it's that we, China, are more productive" and "have lower labor costs," Sen. John McCain (R, Ariz.), told two reporters.
In Mr. Hu's morning meeting with House lawmakers, Mr. Berman said Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) engaged the Chinese president on his country's human-rights record, specifically the continued incarceration of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo and tensions with Tibet.
House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) issued a statement saying the group discussed a range of issues including the need for China to provide stronger intellectual property protections and curtail North Korea's aggressive behavior. It said the lawmakers "raised our strong, ongoing concerns with reports of human-rights violations in China, including the denial of religious freedom and the use of coercive abortion as a consequence of the 'one child' policy."
In a preview of Friday's "Big Interview," Dr. Henry Kissinger discusses China's emergence as a world power and what it implies for the U.S. economy, while stating that much of the U.S. economy's problems are homegrown.
Mr. Hu's meeting in the Capitol followed a day at the White House filled with toasts and talk of U.S.-China cooperation. At Wednesday night's state dinner, President Barack Obama and Mr. Hu exchanged toasts to "mutual respect" and "common responsibilities."
Mr. Hu arrived at the Capitol just before 9:40 a.m., entering through the southeast carriage doors of the Capitol building. Surrounded by a large security detail, he was quickly ushered into an elevator on his way to meetings with leaders from both the House and Senate.
In a nod to the sensitivity of the talks, Capitol Hill reporters—who were briefly ushered into the top of Mr. Hu's meeting with the Senate lawmakers and who are accustomed to talking face-to-face with lawmakers—were told that no questions were to be asked and that they would be escorted out for "misbehaving."
Hu Jintao Visits Washington
Protestors in favor of freeing Tibet and against China's President Hu Jintao marched in costume in front of the White House.
John Bussey discusses Chinese President Hu's scheduled address to Congress today, as well as China's GDP growth. Plus, Spain ramps up the bailout of its banks and the latest on GOP efforts to kill the health-care bill.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) said Mr. Boehner asked Mr. Hu about trade issues including what some lawmakers allege is China's lack of regard for intellectual property rights. Mr. Cantor said Mr. Hu acknowledged China had been "late to the game" on the intellectual property issue, but he said China was working aggressively to catch up.
Lawmakers have used the run-up to Mr. Hu's visit to list a litany of complaints about China's policies, particularly on the economic front. Roughly seven dozen House Republicans and Democrats signed a letter this week asking Mr. Obama to press the Chinese president on what Congress views as "persistent violation of international trade law."
"It is vital ... to impress upon President Hu that America's patience is near an end," the lawmakers wrote, noting that China's "unwillingness to play by the rules is unfairly shuttering U.S. businesses and putting Americans out of work."
On an interview for local television in Nevada on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) referred to the Chinese president as a "dictator." The top Senate Democrat then immediately tried to retract his statement, by saying: "Maybe I shouldn't have said 'dictator' but they have a different type of government than we have, that's an understatement."
While the White House and Mr. Obama have sought to cast the visit as part of an ever-growing dialogue between the two countries—the two leaders have met face-to-face eight times now—congressional leaders are seeking more concrete promises from China. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said Thursday morning ahead of the sit-down with Mr. Hu that China's currency policy and human-rights record were among the issues he would discuss with the Chinese president.
Lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol have stepped up efforts to target China's management of the yuan. The House last year easily passed a measure targeting China's currency policy, and on Monday a group of senators said they would introduce their own bill to address the issue. A new House bill could be released in the next few weeks, according to aides.
In addition to Mr. Reid, a number of prominent senators took part in the meetings, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D., Mass.) and the top Republican on the panel Sen. Richard Lugar (R, Ind.), as well as Sen. John McCain (R, Ariz.). On the House side, nearly a dozen lawmakers attended the meeting with Mr. Hu.
One notable absence among the senators scheduled to meet Mr. Hu was Sen. Charles Schumer, a frequent China critic who earlier this week predicted Congress in the coming months would pass legislation targeting China's management of the yuan. The New York Democrat said Monday the U.S. should seek to penalize China for manipulating its currency and later accused the country of hoarding rare-earth elements that are key to manufacturing goods in the technology and defense sector.
"The time for talk is over. We've had enough of China's empty verbiage," Mr. Schumer told reporters Monday.
The White House has generally offered a more conciliatory approach during Mr. Hu's visit, though Mr. Obama has noted a number of stark differences between the two countries. During a press conference Wednesday, the U.S. president stressed that China's rise among the world's top economies is good for the U.S., and, in a nod to American ambitions to increase exports, told Mr. Hu, "We want to sell you all kinds of stuff.:
Mr T
Senior Member
Then what would the US have to buy Chinese goods with?
China invests in the US both to keep the trade deficit going and get a return on its cash. You do realise China gets interest on it's loans, right? It's making money out of the US by buying US bonds. It's also about the safest investment China can make right now.
Mr T
Senior Member
I've just had a look at the ad China's been running in the US.
Seems like another classic failure of China to understand a foreign country it's trying to improve relations with. I'm sure this would go down well in China or with Chinese people. But to Americans (or Europeans) it just smacks of cheesy propaganda.
Some cutting analysis on the two links below.
Until China figures out how to talk to other major countries like the US in ways they understand/like, it's not going to get very far.
Seems like another classic failure of China to understand a foreign country it's trying to improve relations with. I'm sure this would go down well in China or with Chinese people. But to Americans (or Europeans) it just smacks of cheesy propaganda.
Some cutting analysis on the two links below.
Until China figures out how to talk to other major countries like the US in ways they understand/like, it's not going to get very far.
Mr.T
Who cares? Nobody, except the CCP's PR department, expects any positive outcomes by these ads, and please doesn't assume too much about Chinese people's reaction because you don't know.
In Speech, China’s Hu Offers Olive Branch
By MICHAEL WINES
President Hu Jintao of China called for closer cooperation with the United States in southeast Asia and the Pacific in a speech on Thursday, offering an olive branch in a region where China’s increasing influence and military presence have increasingly roiled relations between the two powers.
Speaking to American business and foreign-relations organizations here, Mr. Hu identified the nations bordering China’s Pacific coast were where Washington and Beijing had the greatest range of overlapping interests, and called closer coordination of American and Chinese activities there “crucial to the regional situation and our bilateral relations.”
“We should stay committed to promoting peace, stability and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said, “and turn the Asia-Pacific into an important region where China and the United States work closely with each other on the basis of mutual respect.”
China’s territorial disputes with bevy of nations in the region, from Japan to the Philippines and Vietnam, grew increasingly fractious last year, prompting many of the region’s governments to ask the United States to step up its military and political involvement there.
The American response — an offer to mediate the disputes, and a blunt statement by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton about the need for regional states to retain independence — in turn angered the Chinese military and some in Beijing, who saw the moves as an attempt to suppress China’s growing influence.
Mr. Hu’s broad-ranging speech was laced with calls for China and the United States to cooperate and coordinate their actions across the range of global issues, from the Doha round of world trade negotiations to climate change and energy-conservation initiatives. He also called for a sustained effort to improve bilateral relations with more cultural, business and student exchanges, closer military cooperation and increased joint projects involving agriculture, space exploration, smart energy grids and other scientific and business pursuits.
“The development of China-United States relations in the final analysis hinges on the broad support and active involvement of people from all walks of lie in both countries,” he said. With a broader dialogue involving every facet of both societies, he said, “more and more people will become supporters of stronger China-United States relations and get actively involved in this worthy cause.”
Hu Stresses Cooperation With U.S., Sovereignty On Tibet and Taiwan
By MICHAEL R. CRITTENDEN, COREY BOLES, SIOBHAN HUGHES, LING LING WEI and JAMILA TRINDLE
WASHINGTON—Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday reiterated the need for Beijing and Washington to work together and urged the United States to respect China's sovereignty over Taiwan and Tibet.
"We should treat each other with respect," Mr. Hu said in a speech at a luncheon held by the U.S.-China business council.
"Taiwan and Tibet concern China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and they represent China's core interests," he said.
Mr. Hu's remarks followed a meeting with U.S. lawmakers earlier Thursday, in which legislators pressed the Chinese President on a variety of sensitive issues, ranging from trade policies, human rights abuses and even abortion.
Mr. Hu said a review of the history of Sino-U.S relations shows that the two countries will "enjoy smooth and steady growth when the two countries handle well issues involving each other's major interests." Otherwise, he said "our relations will suffer constant trouble or even tension."
Hu said Beijing and Washington should prevent its relationship from being held back by any one event.
Mr. Hu's initial meeting with House lawmakers lasted roughly an hour, with Democratic Rep. Howard Berman of California saying the meeting was "very cordial but very direct."
Mr. Hu's subsequent meeting with Senators was shorter, but the Chinese president faced a question about the nation's currency, which U.S. lawmakers complain is kept artificially low.
Who's at the State Dinner Table?
From left to right, Coca Cola Company CEO Muhtar Kent, Michelle Obama and Hu Jintao toast during the state dinner.
Mr. Hu responded that "they have made some changes in the currency imbalance, but it's not that that's the problem, it's that we, China, are more productive" and "have lower labor costs," Sen. John McCain (R, Ariz.), told two reporters.
In Mr. Hu's morning meeting with House lawmakers, Mr. Berman said Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) engaged the Chinese president on his country's human-rights record, specifically the continued incarceration of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo and tensions with Tibet.
House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) issued a statement saying the group discussed a range of issues including the need for China to provide stronger intellectual property protections and curtail North Korea's aggressive behavior. It said the lawmakers "raised our strong, ongoing concerns with reports of human-rights violations in China, including the denial of religious freedom and the use of coercive abortion as a consequence of the 'one child' policy."
In a preview of Friday's "Big Interview," Dr. Henry Kissinger discusses China's emergence as a world power and what it implies for the U.S. economy, while stating that much of the U.S. economy's problems are homegrown.
Mr. Hu's meeting in the Capitol followed a day at the White House filled with toasts and talk of U.S.-China cooperation. At Wednesday night's state dinner, President Barack Obama and Mr. Hu exchanged toasts to "mutual respect" and "common responsibilities."
Mr. Hu arrived at the Capitol just before 9:40 a.m., entering through the southeast carriage doors of the Capitol building. Surrounded by a large security detail, he was quickly ushered into an elevator on his way to meetings with leaders from both the House and Senate.
In a nod to the sensitivity of the talks, Capitol Hill reporters—who were briefly ushered into the top of Mr. Hu's meeting with the Senate lawmakers and who are accustomed to talking face-to-face with lawmakers—were told that no questions were to be asked and that they would be escorted out for "misbehaving."
John Bussey discusses Chinese President Hu's scheduled address to Congress today, as well as China's GDP growth. Plus, Spain ramps up the bailout of its banks and the latest on GOP efforts to kill the health-care bill.
With Chinese President Hu Jintao poised to step down in 2012, WSJ's Jeremy Page tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Xi Jinping, the man most likely to take over the reins of the world's second largest economy.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) said Mr. Boehner asked Mr. Hu about trade issues including what some lawmakers allege is China's lack of regard for intellectual property rights. Mr. Cantor said Mr. Hu acknowledged China had been "late to the game" on the intellectual property issue, but he said China was working aggressively to catch up.
Lawmakers have used the run-up to Mr. Hu's visit to list a litany of complaints about China's policies, particularly on the economic front. Roughly seven dozen House Republicans and Democrats signed a letter this week asking Mr. Obama to press the Chinese president on what Congress views as "persistent violation of international trade law."
"It is vital ... to impress upon President Hu that America's patience is near an end," the lawmakers wrote, noting that China's "unwillingness to play by the rules is unfairly shuttering U.S. businesses and putting Americans out of work."
On an interview for local television in Nevada on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) referred to the Chinese president as a "dictator." The top Senate Democrat then immediately tried to retract his statement, by saying: "Maybe I shouldn't have said 'dictator' but they have a different type of government than we have, that's an understatement."
While the White House and Mr. Obama have sought to cast the visit as part of an ever-growing dialogue between the two countries—the two leaders have met face-to-face eight times now—congressional leaders are seeking more concrete promises from China. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said Thursday morning ahead of the sit-down with Mr. Hu that China's currency policy and human-rights record were among the issues he would discuss with the Chinese president.
Lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol have stepped up efforts to target China's management of the yuan. The House last year easily passed a measure targeting China's currency policy, and on Monday a group of senators said they would introduce their own bill to address the issue. A new House bill could be released in the next few weeks, according to aides.
Journal Community
In addition to Mr. Reid, a number of prominent senators took part in the meetings, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D., Mass.) and the top Republican on the panel Sen. Richard Lugar (R, Ind.), as well as Sen. John McCain (R, Ariz.). On the House side, nearly a dozen lawmakers attended the meeting with Mr. Hu.
One notable absence among the senators scheduled to meet Mr. Hu was Sen. Charles Schumer, a frequent China critic who earlier this week predicted Congress in the coming months would pass legislation targeting China's management of the yuan. The New York Democrat said Monday the U.S. should seek to penalize China for manipulating its currency and later accused the country of hoarding rare-earth elements that are key to manufacturing goods in the technology and defense sector.
"The time for talk is over. We've had enough of China's empty verbiage," Mr. Schumer told reporters Monday.
The White House has generally offered a more conciliatory approach during Mr. Hu's visit, though Mr. Obama has noted a number of stark differences between the two countries. During a press conference Wednesday, the U.S. president stressed that China's rise among the world's top economies is good for the U.S., and, in a nod to American ambitions to increase exports, told Mr. Hu, "We want to sell you all kinds of stuff.:
Who cares? Nobody, except the CCP's PR department, expects any positive outcomes by these ads, and please doesn't assume too much about Chinese people's reaction because you don't know.
In Speech, China’s Hu Offers Olive Branch
By MICHAEL WINES
President Hu Jintao of China called for closer cooperation with the United States in southeast Asia and the Pacific in a speech on Thursday, offering an olive branch in a region where China’s increasing influence and military presence have increasingly roiled relations between the two powers.
Speaking to American business and foreign-relations organizations here, Mr. Hu identified the nations bordering China’s Pacific coast were where Washington and Beijing had the greatest range of overlapping interests, and called closer coordination of American and Chinese activities there “crucial to the regional situation and our bilateral relations.”
“We should stay committed to promoting peace, stability and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said, “and turn the Asia-Pacific into an important region where China and the United States work closely with each other on the basis of mutual respect.”
China’s territorial disputes with bevy of nations in the region, from Japan to the Philippines and Vietnam, grew increasingly fractious last year, prompting many of the region’s governments to ask the United States to step up its military and political involvement there.
The American response — an offer to mediate the disputes, and a blunt statement by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton about the need for regional states to retain independence — in turn angered the Chinese military and some in Beijing, who saw the moves as an attempt to suppress China’s growing influence.
Mr. Hu’s broad-ranging speech was laced with calls for China and the United States to cooperate and coordinate their actions across the range of global issues, from the Doha round of world trade negotiations to climate change and energy-conservation initiatives. He also called for a sustained effort to improve bilateral relations with more cultural, business and student exchanges, closer military cooperation and increased joint projects involving agriculture, space exploration, smart energy grids and other scientific and business pursuits.
“The development of China-United States relations in the final analysis hinges on the broad support and active involvement of people from all walks of lie in both countries,” he said. With a broader dialogue involving every facet of both societies, he said, “more and more people will become supporters of stronger China-United States relations and get actively involved in this worthy cause.”
Hu Stresses Cooperation With U.S., Sovereignty On Tibet and Taiwan
By MICHAEL R. CRITTENDEN, COREY BOLES, SIOBHAN HUGHES, LING LING WEI and JAMILA TRINDLE
WASHINGTON—Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday reiterated the need for Beijing and Washington to work together and urged the United States to respect China's sovereignty over Taiwan and Tibet.
"We should treat each other with respect," Mr. Hu said in a speech at a luncheon held by the U.S.-China business council.
"Taiwan and Tibet concern China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and they represent China's core interests," he said.
Mr. Hu's remarks followed a meeting with U.S. lawmakers earlier Thursday, in which legislators pressed the Chinese President on a variety of sensitive issues, ranging from trade policies, human rights abuses and even abortion.
Mr. Hu said a review of the history of Sino-U.S relations shows that the two countries will "enjoy smooth and steady growth when the two countries handle well issues involving each other's major interests." Otherwise, he said "our relations will suffer constant trouble or even tension."
Hu said Beijing and Washington should prevent its relationship from being held back by any one event.
Mr. Hu's initial meeting with House lawmakers lasted roughly an hour, with Democratic Rep. Howard Berman of California saying the meeting was "very cordial but very direct."
Mr. Hu's subsequent meeting with Senators was shorter, but the Chinese president faced a question about the nation's currency, which U.S. lawmakers complain is kept artificially low.
Who's at the State Dinner Table?
From left to right, Coca Cola Company CEO Muhtar Kent, Michelle Obama and Hu Jintao toast during the state dinner.
Mr. Hu responded that "they have made some changes in the currency imbalance, but it's not that that's the problem, it's that we, China, are more productive" and "have lower labor costs," Sen. John McCain (R, Ariz.), told two reporters.
In Mr. Hu's morning meeting with House lawmakers, Mr. Berman said Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) engaged the Chinese president on his country's human-rights record, specifically the continued incarceration of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo and tensions with Tibet.
House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) issued a statement saying the group discussed a range of issues including the need for China to provide stronger intellectual property protections and curtail North Korea's aggressive behavior. It said the lawmakers "raised our strong, ongoing concerns with reports of human-rights violations in China, including the denial of religious freedom and the use of coercive abortion as a consequence of the 'one child' policy."
In a preview of Friday's "Big Interview," Dr. Henry Kissinger discusses China's emergence as a world power and what it implies for the U.S. economy, while stating that much of the U.S. economy's problems are homegrown.
Mr. Hu's meeting in the Capitol followed a day at the White House filled with toasts and talk of U.S.-China cooperation. At Wednesday night's state dinner, President Barack Obama and Mr. Hu exchanged toasts to "mutual respect" and "common responsibilities."
Mr. Hu arrived at the Capitol just before 9:40 a.m., entering through the southeast carriage doors of the Capitol building. Surrounded by a large security detail, he was quickly ushered into an elevator on his way to meetings with leaders from both the House and Senate.
In a nod to the sensitivity of the talks, Capitol Hill reporters—who were briefly ushered into the top of Mr. Hu's meeting with the Senate lawmakers and who are accustomed to talking face-to-face with lawmakers—were told that no questions were to be asked and that they would be escorted out for "misbehaving."
John Bussey discusses Chinese President Hu's scheduled address to Congress today, as well as China's GDP growth. Plus, Spain ramps up the bailout of its banks and the latest on GOP efforts to kill the health-care bill.
With Chinese President Hu Jintao poised to step down in 2012, WSJ's Jeremy Page tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Xi Jinping, the man most likely to take over the reins of the world's second largest economy.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) said Mr. Boehner asked Mr. Hu about trade issues including what some lawmakers allege is China's lack of regard for intellectual property rights. Mr. Cantor said Mr. Hu acknowledged China had been "late to the game" on the intellectual property issue, but he said China was working aggressively to catch up.
Lawmakers have used the run-up to Mr. Hu's visit to list a litany of complaints about China's policies, particularly on the economic front. Roughly seven dozen House Republicans and Democrats signed a letter this week asking Mr. Obama to press the Chinese president on what Congress views as "persistent violation of international trade law."
"It is vital ... to impress upon President Hu that America's patience is near an end," the lawmakers wrote, noting that China's "unwillingness to play by the rules is unfairly shuttering U.S. businesses and putting Americans out of work."
On an interview for local television in Nevada on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) referred to the Chinese president as a "dictator." The top Senate Democrat then immediately tried to retract his statement, by saying: "Maybe I shouldn't have said 'dictator' but they have a different type of government than we have, that's an understatement."
While the White House and Mr. Obama have sought to cast the visit as part of an ever-growing dialogue between the two countries—the two leaders have met face-to-face eight times now—congressional leaders are seeking more concrete promises from China. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said Thursday morning ahead of the sit-down with Mr. Hu that China's currency policy and human-rights record were among the issues he would discuss with the Chinese president.
Lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol have stepped up efforts to target China's management of the yuan. The House last year easily passed a measure targeting China's currency policy, and on Monday a group of senators said they would introduce their own bill to address the issue. A new House bill could be released in the next few weeks, according to aides.
Journal Community
In addition to Mr. Reid, a number of prominent senators took part in the meetings, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D., Mass.) and the top Republican on the panel Sen. Richard Lugar (R, Ind.), as well as Sen. John McCain (R, Ariz.). On the House side, nearly a dozen lawmakers attended the meeting with Mr. Hu.
One notable absence among the senators scheduled to meet Mr. Hu was Sen. Charles Schumer, a frequent China critic who earlier this week predicted Congress in the coming months would pass legislation targeting China's management of the yuan. The New York Democrat said Monday the U.S. should seek to penalize China for manipulating its currency and later accused the country of hoarding rare-earth elements that are key to manufacturing goods in the technology and defense sector.
"The time for talk is over. We've had enough of China's empty verbiage," Mr. Schumer told reporters Monday.
The White House has generally offered a more conciliatory approach during Mr. Hu's visit, though Mr. Obama has noted a number of stark differences between the two countries. During a press conference Wednesday, the U.S. president stressed that China's rise among the world's top economies is good for the U.S., and, in a nod to American ambitions to increase exports, told Mr. Hu, "We want to sell you all kinds of stuff.:
solarz
Brigadier
This is the interest rate of US Treasury bonds:
How much did the Yuan appreciate in the last few years? How much are US lawmakers calling for the Yuan to appreciate?
I also like the irony of your last statement. Yes, the US Treasury investment is safe.... provided the US doesn't devalue its currency.
Trade is a 2 way street. The US buy a lot of Chinese goods not out of good will, but because Chinese goods are more competitive. Raising the Yuan means raising the prices of Chinese imports, which pretty much results in massive inflation for the US. It's sad that the average American simply doesn't realize this.
The ad does what it's supposed to do. It's not supposed to make Americans "feel better" about China. No 60-seconds spot is going to undo what years of anti-China rhetoric and decades of Cold War mentality have hammered into place.
No, the purpose of the ad is to simply put human faces on China. So many Americans think of the Chinese as some borg-like collective, that it's worthwhile to remind them that the Chinese are people just like themselves.
What US understands is American exceptionalism , you presuming that what US likes is in the interest of the rest of the world, which is not the case. Its also interesting that you claim to represent both all Americans and Europeans by posting some links that are critical of the ads, what it really shows are only certain people's prejudices.
vesicles
Colonel
It seems that officials in the Chinese govn't are from another planet and still lives on that planet, not Earth. Why? It seems that no one in China even believes the propaganda crap that the Chinese govn't is churning out. Yet, they still make the kind of skin-crawling, goose-bump-producing speeches...
The CCTV Chinese New Year gala used to be the most popular show and everyone would watch it. Nowadays, many people watch galas on other Channels, simply because there is too many propaganda stuff during the CCTV show and everyone just thinks it's kind of like a bunch of clowns singing non-sense up there.
These officials are seriously out of touch with reality. To me, it sounds like they still live in the 60's and 70's.... they still make the same kind of propaganda even though no one, not even themselves, believe in that sht...