Hu’s visit: Redefining China’s relationship with the U.S.

Those hoping for a “new cold war” between China and the U.S. may be disappointed, said David Ignatius in The Washington Post. When Chinese President Hu Jintao paid his first state visit to Washington last week, he reveled in the pomp of a state dinner, tapped “his toe to the music of Herbie Hancock,” and signaled several “small but welcome changes” in relations between the world’s only superpower and its rising rival. After months of increasing Chinese belligerence, Hu was noticeably “eager to make his American hosts happy,” said The New York Times in an editorial. He pledged action on software piracy and access for U.S. companies to Chinese markets, admitted that “a lot still needs to be done in China in terms of human rights,” and behind closed doors even agreed to try and rein in North Korea. It’s too soon to say that China has decided to “turn a new strategic leaf” with the U.S. “But it is clearly taking a second look at things.”

No wonder Hu left looking so pleased with himself, said Charles Hurt in the New York Post. He’d just subjected the leader of the free world to a “complete bamboozlement.” Yes, Hu did make a few rhetorical concessions to President Obama, and the pair used the occasion to announce a deal in which China would open its doors to $45 billion in new U.S. exports. But that’s small potatoes indeed when you consider that we have a $250 billion trade deficit with China each year. On the central issue, China’s shameless manipulation of its currency to flood the world with cheap exports, Hu didn’t budge an inch. “Beijing plays chess,” said Irwin Stelzer in The Weekly Standard, while “America plays tiddlywinks.” Hu and his cohorts are happy to make any number of symbolic gestures, while they continue to aggressively pursue their goal of “overtaking the United States as the world’s pre-eminent economic and military power.”

Actually, said Lewis Simons in USA Today, the jovial mood in Washington reflected a “newfound maturity” in U.S.-China relations. Neither side would benefit from a new cold war, let alone an actual military confrontation, and the economic relationship between China and the U.S. is more complex and entangled than many people realize. The idea that China has been hoarding dollars and U.S. Treasuries “to gain leverage over the United States” is a myth, said Robert Robb in The Arizona Republic. Beijing knows that between its currency manipulation, its aging population, and the prospect of political unrest, its current economic boom could be short-lived, so it has been stockpiling dollars as insurance against a future downturn. “China wishes us no harm,” and its leaders know they need a healthy U.S. as a market for their goods.

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In the end, Hu’s visit was a draw, said Leslie Gelb in TheDailyBeast.com. President Obama was “tough and serious” with the Chinese president, in refreshing contrast to the “passive posture he adopted a year ago in Beijing.” He warned Hu that the U.S. might increase its military presence in Asia to respond to North Korea’s threats, despite “China’s assertions of sovereignty over the seas bordering its territory.” But Hu largely held his ground on the key trade and currency issues. It was, in short, a “stalemate summit.” If the U.S. wants to gain the upper hand in this complex relationship in the future, neither diplomacy nor threats will do. China will be impressed by only one thing—“an American economy that is convincingly rebounding.’’