The Chinese President Hu Jintao was given a full state visit compliment on his visit to the United States. In the state visit which was aired live on the White House channel, a 21 gun salute and a military outfit was given for the Chinese President to inspect. Along with this a state dinner, private dinner and a private chat with President Obama in the Oval office.
However the visit also prompted issues which related to three main topics. These were ‘Human Rights’, ‘economy’ and ‘defense’ topics as well as bilateral relations among the two countries in question.
Human Rights
While President Obama welcomed Hu Jintao along with the majority of congress. This wasn’t the case when the President along with his delegation arrived in Washington. Human Rights was the main topic. Three top U.S congressional leaders being the House Speaker John Boehner (Ohio: Republican), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Ohio: Republican) and Senator Mitch McConnell (Nevada: Democrat) who all but refused to turn up to the state dinner when invited by the US President.
The Chinese delegation stayed in the ‘Blair House’, across the street from the White House before the arrival of Hu Jintao. The ‘Blair House’ is essentially a mansion which overlooks a 2.8 hectare park to where Tibetan, Taiwanese and Uyghur demonstrators were shouting and waving flags at the buildings of where the Chinese delegation were staying. Among demonstrators the Washington Post criticized the Chinese government for its acts of ‘Human Rights’ violations. Along with this was officials of the United States congress, or specifically Republican Representative Chris Smith condemning the Chinese governments on its ‘Human Rights’ issue. He noted in a congressional hearing “Human Rights in Hu Jintao’s China” and stated that Obama had obligation being a laureate of the Nobel peace prize to mention Liu Xiaobo. Who is subject to house arrest and not able to attend the receiving of his Nobel prize along with his family. Mr. Smith further went onto condemning the rights of women in China calling out the “one-child-per couple policy” and also commenting on sex-selective abortion along with forced abortion. He says that China does not afford its citizens the basic forms of human rights.
He went on to further state that the Obama for too long has been weak and has not used strong enough words which China would actually understand. President Hu Jintao should be at The Hague said Rep. Christopher Smith as he made statements towards what Hu was doing in the 1989 incident at the ‘massacre in Tienanmen Square’, stating he was “Beijing’s iron fist in Tibet” and the man “who ordered the savage beating of Tibetan nuns and even children who were pummeled to death”. Comments such as the US being not sincere about human rights were brought up.
Economic
On the other side of the party lines the Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer unveiled policy to punish China for its low currency. In a press conference with President Hu Jintao and President Barack Obama, Obama brought up the issue of China gaining an economic advantage on the value of the Chinese currency. (RMB/Renminbi) Sen. Schumer stated that “Both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and the House, and the American people are just fed up when, up and down the line, China doesn’t play by the rules and seeks unfair economic advantage”. However officials from China have answered back to this criticism over the years stating that “The markets should decide the value of currency and not politicians”. Though Obama made the argument that China has an increasing middle-class who can afford to purchase foreign goods and stated that the value of the renminbi doesn’t represent prices in which Western goods can be sold to Chinese people as competition cannot be created especially when Chinese goods are at a much cheaper price. President Obama was also quoted in saying in the press conference “We want to sell you all kind’s of stuff!”. Business leaders from the U.S and China attended a meeting to which came about a $45 billion spending from China on the purchase of Boeing aircraft which would support 200,000 American jobs.
Defense
In the eventual visit 25 congressmen talked about the defense of Taiwan and with the thousands of missiles that are directed toward the island off of the coast of the Peoples Republic of China. Later congressional talks were held which mentioned either the upgrade or sale of newer F-16 fighters to uphold the defense structure of Taiwan which China have threatened to use force against Taiwan if they claimed ‘de jure Taiwan independence’. Advanced diesel-electric submarines were also brought up to heighten defense or even as a deterrence for China to attack.
The Chinese President is to make his last day visit in the U.S. trip to Chicago, Illinois to visit Chinese owned firms and educational schools. He stated that relations between Washington and Beijing need to be governed by belief in mutual respect and equality. Which it has used these words in heavy involvement towards Tibet and Taiwan saying that it is an “internal problem” suggesting they consider these disputed territories part of theirs and further suggest that other countries should not be involved.
