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Obama's China Visit Achieves Little

In fact, it just illustrates the 'yawning' economic differences

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 17, 2009 4:48 PM CST
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(Newser) – President Obama and Chinese leader Hu Jintao paid lip service today to the idea of stronger US-China relations, but Obama's visit has done nothing but highlight the "yawning differences" between the two nations on economic issues, writes Dexter Roberts. "Lofty statements of common interests aside, the all-important Sino-US economic relationship is certain to be defined by friction as much as cooperation for a long time to come," he writes in BusinessWeek.

On trade, the two nations are "going their separate ways." China—on the path to supplanting the US as the dominant economic player in Asia—is increasingly critical of what it calls America's protectionist policies. The US, meanwhile, wants Beijing to allow the yuan to increase in value, a subject that Hu "pointedly" ignored in his speech today. With these issues in the background, grandiose statements of cooperation aren't going to cut it.

Chinese President Hu Jintao talks with U.S. President Obama in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Tuesday.
Chinese President Hu Jintao talks with U.S. President Obama in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Tuesday.   (AP Photo/David Gray, Pool)
President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao prepare to take their seats at a state dinner in Beijing.
President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao prepare to take their seats at a state dinner in Beijing.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Obama walks with Chinese President Hu Jintao during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
President Obama walks with Chinese President Hu Jintao during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.   (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 14 comments
hamsammichs
Nov 18, 2009 12:50 PM CST
They don't need us for shit. If China could separate themselves from the rest of the world to live a communist, 1 child per family utopia, they would.
justme
Nov 18, 2009 12:48 PM CST
Actually the speech that no one saw in China said that Chinese citizens should have freedoms like ours (specifically the right to "twitter"). Thanks, Obama, for finally telling the world that we have things that we don't have to apologize about.
0001tr
Nov 18, 2009 4:50 AM CST
Come on , even you Obama fanatics by now, have got to be scracthing your head and wonder "what the Hell is he REALLY up to ?
Politics • Money • World

 
China • US-China trade deficit • trade deficit • yuan • Hu Jintao • President Obama

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