China Redux

There’s no better way to promote communication and cooperation than face-to-face interaction on the other person’s home turf. So maybe the newly announced United Airlines non-stop service between Dulles Airport in Washington and Beijing can help bring the two countries closer together, one flight at a time. Or something. (That was one of messages driving United’s lobbying blitz on Capitol Hill during the lead-up to the Department of Transportation’s decision to award United with the rights to operate the D.C.-Beijing route. All this because China restricts the number of flights entering its air space.)

Tickets go on sale February 10 (tomorrow) for the first flight, which takes off on March 28. No word yet on frequency. Also, the route will be carried on the 347-seat B747-400s. The Post’s travel log has more details on the new service.

It didn’t get much notice in the press — at least not compared to the wave of above-the-fold denunciations of China’s budding relationships in Africa — but Chinese President Hu Jintao’s comments in South Africa were absolutely astonishing. Here’s what Hu said in Pretoria on Wednesday, February 7, towards the close of an eight-country tour of Africa aimed at bolstering China’s image on the continent (via the Washington Post):

“For more than 100 years in China’s modern history, the Chinese people were subjected to colonial aggression and oppression by foreign powers and went through similar suffering and agony that the majority of African countries endured,” Hu said according to a transcript released by South African officials. He added: “China has never imposed its will or unequal practices on other countries and will never do so in the future.”

Call it the Hu Doctrine. In my estimation, this speech in Pretoria will go down as a major milestone in Chinese history. Ever since China began its ascent, the world has wondered and worried: What are China’s real intentions? Now we have an answer.

Whether we believe it or not is a separate question. As I wrote in an earlier post, I’m inclined to agree that China will not likely develop into an imperial power. But the Hu Doctrine leaves a lot of wiggle room. What does it mean that China will not “impose its will” on other countries? And what exactly are “unequal practices”? Isn’t undervaluing currency an unequal practice? What about severely restricting foreign investment in domestic markets? The list of nebulous practices could go on and on. Read the rest of this entry »