U.S. and China Agree to Split the 21st Century (Kommersant, Russia)
"During Joe Biden's visit to Beijing, we have witnessed the
realization of the idea of global governance carried out by two major powers -
the United States and China. It is crucial that the two sides should act as
equal players in this. ... China has long been pushing the United States in
this direction, and Joe Biden's visit has allowed Beijing to take another step
in its implementation."
--Alexander Lomanov,
chief analyst at the Russian Far East Institute
Vice President Joe Biden and outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Beijing, Gary Locke, appear to listen carefully to Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, Dec. 4.
As
part of his Asian tour, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden recently visited Beijing.
The most important part of his talks with Chinese leaders was consolidating U.S.-China
relations as a key factor in global affairs. Having allowed himself some cautious
criticism of the Chinese model, Mr. Biden didn't dare to openly challenge
Beijing on China's Air Defense Identification Zone over the Senkaku
Islands - which is a major concern for Washington and its regional allies.
Biden arrived in Beijing from Tokyo,
where he spent the previous day holding talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe trying to ease the fear of Japanese leaders over
China's newly-declared Air Defense Identification Zone above the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, the ownership over
which is disputed by China and Japan.
Biden's China visit began in the same
way as his Tokyo trip. After the official welcoming ceremony at the airport, Biden
unexpectedly traveled to the American Embassy in Beijing, after making several
policy statements about the differences between the American and Chinese models
of development. In the Embassy's consular section, Biden
spoke to Chinese applicants waiting to receive their U.S. visas: "Children
in America are rewarded - not punished - for challenging the status quo. ...
The only way you make something totally new is to break the mold of what was
old." He expressed the hope that, once in the United States, the Chinese
immigrants would also be convinced of the uniqueness of American democracy. "From the beginning of our
country, it's a constant stream of new immigrants, new cultures, new ideas, new
religions, brand new people continuing to reinvigorate the spirit of America,"
said the U.S. vice president. While acknowledging that "some countries'
educational systems are better than America's," he claimed that the chief
strength of American upbringing and education was "an inherent rejection
of orthodoxy."
Visiting the U.S. Embassy in Beijing was
a "home away from home" for Biden, allowing him, on the one hand, to
continue a long-running argument over which socio-political system is better, American
or Chinese, while on the other hand, avoiding the direct criticism of Beijing
he allowed himself in Tokyo.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
However, the main announcement
concerning how these two systems will co-operate was announced during a meeting
between the U.S. vice president and Chinese leaders: Vice President Li Yuanchao, Premier Li Keqiang, and
President Xi Jinping. Both sides agreed that the key
factor in any new world order will be U.S.-China relations.
"This is a hugely consequential
relationship that is going to affect the course of the 21st century,"
Joe Biden said, who called U.S.-China cooperation "the central organizational
principle of international relations in the years to come."
In reply, Li Yuanchao
defined links between the United States and China as "the most important
bilateral relation in the world." He added, "This is important not
only for our people, but as the most important factor for development and stability
in the Asia-Pacific region as well as around the world."
"During Joe Biden's visit to
Beijing, we have witnessed the realization of the idea of global governance
carried out by two major powers - the United States and China. It is crucial
that the two sides should act as equal players in this," explained chief
analyst at the Russian Far East Institute Alexander Lomanov.
"China has long been pushing the United States in this direction, and Joe
Biden's visit has allowed Beijing to take another step in its implementation."
