Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The U.S. and China relationship

The website that I chose to use to look at the U.S. and China's relationship was a reputable source known as IIP Digital. Taken from the websities own description of itself it: "features the latest from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs."

http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/iipdigital-en/index.html#axzz1MehNO3eO

The article from the website I chose for this post interested me because of how direct it was.
Declaring that the relationship between the U.S. and China will "Shape the 21st Century" seemed a very controversial statement to make. Reading further, the author specifically talks about a summit held in Washington that focused talks around the two countries, namely the "Third U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue". The event, held on the 9th of May 2011 featured talks by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan and Chinese State Counselor Dai Bingguo.

Vice President Joe Biden speculated that as the two largest economies in the world, their relationship that focused on cooperation on such topics as climate change, security and trade would help shape the 21st century.
The website states that the talks began in 2009 and were intended to "build a relationship between across the entire spectrum" of the governments concerned.

The website quotes Biden saying “How we cooperate will define in significant part how we deal with the challenges the world faces in the beginning of the 21st century”.
He also recognised that the common issues associated with being the world's biggest energy consumers would make a "great opportunity for common efforts to find clean-energy solutions."
It is also mentioned that the Vice President acknowledged the fact that despite their differences of opinion on matters such as human rights, both sides need to attempt to work together to find where their "mutual interests converge".

The subject of human rights has poignantly been the boundary line preventing the two countries from reaching a much desired closer relationship. As Hilary Clinton this will not be easily achieved: "We know over the long arch of history that societies that work toward respecting human rights are going to be more prosperous, stable and successful."

As to reafirm the fact that both countries may still have uneasy feelings towards one another, the secretary of state insisted that the outcome of partnership would be far more prosperous to both countries in the long run: “Some in our country see China’s progress as a threat to the United States. Some in China worry that America seeks to constrain China’s growth. We reject both those views. We both have much more to gain from cooperation than from conflict,” she continued to state that: “A thriving America is good for China and a thriving China is good for America. But to work together, we need to be able to understand each other’s intentions and interests. And we must demystify long-term plans and aspirations.”.

I felt that this article gave a very definitive and modern look at how the U.S. and China's relationship currently stands. Whilst it is an article, it is very formal and directly informative, the quotes it uses help give a more detailed insight into the talks that have taken place and featured key detail that emphasised on the importance of the address.





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