Secretary Hillary Clinton hosted a luncheon at the State Department for the visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden also chimed in as they all affirmed to continue dialog and deal with issues of contention. Overall, I liked the tone they are setting for the on-going conversation between the two nations’ leaders. I’d like to point out a stylistic difference between Biden and Xi. Biden enumerates issues of contention with the American view with sharpness like the knife that cuts through butter. Xi’s speech was more about guidelines on how to approach the issues. For me, on that difference alone, one feels like a vice president and the other a president. I was a bit annoyed at the translator. Xi stated that “human rights can only be improved and no such thing as ‘best’,” and unfortunately this was not translated. Anyways, I am reminded again we ought to get our news more directly from the source whenever possible and not let others interpret for us. Video of their speeches below:
[Update]
Fulltext of Xi Jinping’s speech is below:
February 15, 2012, local time, Vice President Xi Jinping attended the welcome luncheon hosted by the U.S. friendly groups in Washington D.C. and made a speech.
There were more than 700 representatives attending the luncheon, including CPPCC Vice Chairman Tung Chee-hwa, U.S.-China Business Council President Muhtar Kent, Chair Carla A. Hills of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, U.S. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and the American friends from different communities.
Xi delivered a speech entitled “Working Together to Build a Better Tomorrow for China-U.S. partnership” amid warm applause. Xi first extended sincere greetings and heartfelt thanks to the friendly groups in the United States and the American friends from all walks of life who have long cared for and supported the growth of China-U.S. relations. Xi said that the purpose of his visit is to further implement the important consensus reached by President Hu Jintao and President Barack Obama and drive the growth of a win-win China-U.S. cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. The day before, he had meetings respectively with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden and also met with Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, House Speaker John Boehner, Senator Reid and other political leaders. The two sides had frank and in-depth discussions on a wide range of issues, reached important consensus and achieved fruitful results cooperation.
Xi said, “when you drink from the well, do not forget those who dug the well.” “We will always cherish the memory of the older generation of leaders of the two countries who opened the door of China-U.S. friendship and cooperation with their extraordinary political vision and outstanding political wisdom. China-U.S. relations experienced ups and downs, but the general trend is moving forward. ‘Green hills can’t block it, and after all, it is flowing eastward.’ Under the conditions that peaceful development has become the theme of the times, China-U.S. friendship and cooperation follows the general trend and represents common aspirations of the people. Such trend is irresistible and irreversible.”
Into the second decade of the century, China-U.S. relations are at a new historical starting point. “We should conscientiously implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, push for constant new progress in China-U.S. cooperative partnership and strive to shape such partnership into a new type of relations between major powers in the 21st century. We should make joint efforts in the following four aspects.”
First, continue to increase China-U.S. mutual understanding and strategic trust. Strategic mutual trust is the foundation for mutually beneficial cooperation. The stronger the mutual trust is, the greater the room for cooperation is. Both sides should have more understanding and less estrangement, more trust and less suspicion. We are willing to work with the U.S. side to maintain close high-level exchanges, have more dialogues, exchanges and communication through various channels, and further tap the enormous potentials of the mutually beneficial cooperation on the basis of mutual understanding and strategic trust.
Second, respect each other’s core interests and major concerns. History shows that whenever the two countries could properly handle issues relating to the core and major interests of each other, the development of China-U.S. relations was relatively smooth and stable. On the contrary, it would get complicated. China hopes that the U.S. will always abide by the spirit laid down in the three China-U.S. joint communiques and adhere to the one-China policy. China hopes that the United States would honor its commitment of recognizing Tibet as a part of China and opposing Tibetan independence and handle Tibetan issues in a prudent and proper manner. Throughout human history, the development of human rights has always been a course of continuous improvement and enhancement. The two countries can continue to carry out dialogues and exchanges, implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state on respecting each other’s choice of development path from their own national conditions, and further improve the human rights undertakings of the two countries.
Third, strive to deepen the mutually beneficial and win-win pattern of China-U.S. cooperation. The nature of the China-U.S. exchanges and cooperation is to seek mutual benefit and win-win results. China has become the fastest growing export market for the United States. Since the international financial crisis, China has adopted active measures to expand imports. China has put forward a package of cooperation initiatives to promote China-U.S. trade and investment. The two sides should continue to help each other to overcome the current difficulties, boost China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation from higher levels and wider scopes, and constantly create new highlights for the mutually beneficial cooperation.
Fourth, continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs and global issues. The world today is undergoing profound and complicated changes. The connotations of China-U.S. cooperative partnership include China and the United States staying together to address challenges and share responsibilities in international affairs, which is also the universal expectation of the international community. The two sides should further strengthen coordination on hot-spot issues through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms and promote cooperation on global issues. The two sides should jointly safeguard world peace and stability, promote common development, and push the international system toward a more equitable, just, inclusive and orderly direction.
Xi hoped that there would be more people from all walks of life joining the cause of friendship between China and the United States. The two sides should follow the momentum, ride the wind and waves, seize opportunities, strengthen exchanges, enhance mutual trust, deepen cooperation, and continuously push forward the China-U.S. partnership.
Bryson delivered a speech at the banquet on behalf of President Obama and Vice President Biden. He spoke highly of the positive role of Vice President Xi’s visit in increasing mutual understanding and cooperation. He said that the United States welcomes China’s peaceful development and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China to jointly meet global challenges. Kissinger said in his speech Vice President Xi’s visit coincides with the 40th anniversary of China and the U.S. opening the door of exchanges and has important implications. The development of U.S.-China relations in the past 4 decades made both sides confident in building a partnership that is beneficial to the United States, China and the world through concerted efforts and deepening cooperation.
pug_ster says
Looks like Xi Jinping is a cool as a cucumber when it came to the visit in the US, despite all the criticism by Team Obama.
zack says
yes, yes, make nicey nicey whilst the Americans sharpen their knives behind their backs; i was looking at the list of agreements made by both sides and i reckon that until the USG has made concrete progress in allowing hi tech exports to China, then and only then should Beijing really ought to reconsider lifting the edict that makes foreign companies transfer tech/form joint ventures with indigeneous Chinese companies.
Wayne says
@zack
Agree completely Zack. Don’t doubt for a moment that whitey would be back into China with all her armies like a flash if China let her guard down for just one second. The West would not hesitate in the slightest to do to China what she did to China in the past and what she has recently done to Iraq, Libya, and what she wants to do to Syria.
The very nature of the capitalist imperialist beast and its inherent evilness means we can only have an uneasy co-existence at best. Not friendship.
And we should not even attempt friendship. Because that would be morally wrong. Just as one should never go out of one’s way to befriend a child rapist or a mass murderer.
Wayne says
Oh…by the way,….Hillary is going downhill fast eh….not that she was ever anything great…but fuck she is looking real haggard now.
zack says
@Wayne
i am not interested in hilary clinton’s sex appeal; her worth in that respect is close to nil-perhaps in the negative magnitude there-but i digress.
i wouldn’t put it past the leadership in Beijing to brief Xi into saying “play the compliant easygoing diplomat, then once you’re in office, Mr VP, it’ll be a different ballgame”. The biggest sign that the USG is genuine in wishing to engage with China is one of two things:
1) no more arms shipments to Taiwan, and i’m saying this as a Taiwan (ROC) citizen; we don’t need such ‘wedge politics’ dividing Chinese against Chinese for the sake of the white man.
2) cessation of the embargo on hi tech products; sooner or later the Chinese are going to surpass the US technologically, and then the US will have lost that golden opportunity to make some decent moolah off Chinese demand for US tech.
YinYang says
With respect to trade, I think there is much more begging thy neighbor going on with the U.S. economy really slow and unemployment relatively high. Don’t forget that China’s ascension to WTO were partly under developing nation terms. At the same time, the U.S. and E.U. were supposed to designate China as a “market economy” but so far refused because as long as China is not officially designated one, U.S. and E.U. can take much more aggressive measures in protectionism.
The U.S. media is vilifying China irrespective of the deal negotiated between China and U.S.. That’s where they are bunch of crooked jerks.
I think the U.S. deserves more credit in this trade relationship. There are many other developing countries hungry for FDI. So, if the U.S. really does not want to trade with China, the U.S. government would divert FDI to places like Vietnam, India, etc.. Granted, the Chinese government makes China a more conducive environment for foreign firms. There is a competitive advantage China has comparing to other developing countries for manufacturing there. And not to mention the market size. Apple, Intel, GM, Caterpillar, Procter and Gamble, Coca Cola, Starbucks, and the list goes on and on.
The U.S. ain’t going to screw up this trade relationship. It’s all rhetoric.
China doesn’t want to screw up the trade relationship either.
jimmy says
China must not be tricked by friendly postures … the US is a smiling tiger waiting to pounce on ANY victim.
No one is exempted… except those having the mark of the beast. Read http://www.scribd.com/jimmyfung40 for details.
Wayne says
Come on dudes, when are we going to unite and do something about this endless affront to racial and national dignity?
Everything else pales in comparison in terms of importance. If we can’t keep our womenfolk we are useless as a race – coz we soon ain’t gonna have a race.
Allen says
@Wayne
This is where we disagree. There are 1.3 billion people in China – are they really an endangered species?
Besides – when Chinese women marry white men, guess what, the kids are half Chinese and half white. So – if the Chinese race is in danger, so is the white race.
Further, while I have agreed that in Shanghai I did meet lots of “upwardly mobile easy-going women” (that’s a euphemism), I didn’t feel that way when I was in Yunnan or Qinghai – where the gdp per capita is much, much less than Shanghai.
So – while I sympathize with your perspective that we have a social issue involving attitude, I don’t think we should make it into something bigger than that.
YinYang says
Wayne – and your comment just above has to be relegated to the spam bin.
Allen says
@YinYang
Not sure if you mean comment 8… Regardless, I think in comment 8 Wayne does raise a point – should we be so paranoid about one’s own race being bred into oblivion.
I remember being on a Tibet forum, and seeing how people chastise Tibetan women who married Han Chinese.
I remember also being in a friend’s church, and saw how even the reverend strongly showed disapproval of members marrying non-Christians.
Anyways – I just worry that when we try to preserve our identity so much – are we just throwing up superficial barriers and divisions?
As I said before, there are definitely social issues. But making it out as preservation of one’s community … that may be going too far.
dan says
Allen #11: ‘…But making it out as preservation of one’s community …that may be going too far.’
if the community is not preserved, will there be a culture to speak of? Hence – cultural ‘genocide’ ?- a favourite phase borrowed from certain people.
Wayne says
Allen, it is not just a question of numbers. It is also a matter of national pride and dignity.
Even if we Chinese are not under threat of racial extinction, if large numbers of our womenfolk are enthusiastic to marry foreigners, this means that these women have little regard for their own culture, and want to leave it. That is a bad thing in itself.
If one thinks that being Chinese is important, then surely one will want to have chinese children, regardless of how many other chinese there are in the world?
And if many of our woman are choosing to have children that are not chinese is that not a tragic situation that these women want themselves and their children to leave the chinese family?
Wayne says
@YinYang
Sorry. That comment, now removed, was a bit over the top. I understand why you had to remove it. But it did and does still reflect my true feelings.
Wayne says
@Allen
“Besides – when Chinese women marry white men, guess what, the kids are half Chinese and half white. So – if the Chinese race is in danger, so is the white race.”
Actually Allen, the white race is not too far behind the East Asian race in terms of absolute numbers. There are about 1.2 billion white people in the world (many more if you include North African and near eastern caucasoids), and about 1.4 billion East Asians (chinese, japanese, koreans, vietnamese).
Now you say that both sides lose their identity in interracial marriage. Both the chinese side and the white side. This is true for both partners, Chinese and white as individuals.
But the important thing is this. The female side of the relationship is generally chinese, the male side is white.
In terms of the loss to a race, the loss of a female, in terms of affecting the breeding viability of a race, makes far more of an impact than the loss of a male.
The number of children a female can have, is of course limited. The physical and emotional sacrifice a female makes to bring a child into this world vastly exceeds that of a man—obviously so.
You only need a single stud bull in the paddock to impregnate a herd of cows.
So the loss to the white race of a white male coupling with a chinese female is basically nothing.
The loss to the chinese race of a chinese female coupling with a white male is infinitely more tragic. Because females are the ‘bottleneck’ when it comes to multiplying the race. Not males, whose breeding potential is limited only by their sexual vigour.
Allen says
@Wayne
I don’t argue with what you write. Women definitely are traditionally considered the prize to be protected. If lose them, you lose your future. A male can definitely be a sire to a “herd” of women.
But I wonder statistically in a modern society if it’s true. Sure, we hear certain wealthy men have multiple marriages and multiple families. But that’s not the norm. I don’t get the sense that men have more children than women on average. Besides, these days, you would certainly have to have serial divorces to do this – and divorce is the fastest way to destroy wealth.
So I understand you, but don’t them your concern holds up in reality – statistically speaking at least…
YinYang says
@Allen
It’s a comment that would appear between the current #7 and #8 in this thread, but is now in our spam queue. My #10 above was confusing. Sorry.
@Wayne
I think you already know my personal view. If we peek far into the future, I believe the different races and ethnicities on this planet will continue to meld. The assumption I make is obviously that people will become less racist and more tolerant of one another over time in our increasingly globalize world. While racism and prejudice is still rampant today, compared to the slavery days or the Chinese exclusion act days, America today is vastly better. So the general trend is indeed towards more tolerance.
One could argue, Caucasian-dominated Hollywood systematically precludes intimacy and sex between non-Whites with White female characters, so, a “war” in fact has been waged against non-Whites.
For example, in the most recent movie I watched, “Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol,” an Indian playboy was portrayed as a fat and weird character lusting after one of Ethan Hunt’s agents. She could seduce him easily while the movie made it very clear that Indian playboy was to be avoided – regardless of how many Lamborghini’s he has or the fact that he owns a satellite.
Beyond Hollywood, we could say the Western mainstream media generally propagandizes against “China” and “Chinese” and smears against the nation and the people. For example, few years ago there were toy recalls (mostly due to U.S. company design flaws) where instances of lead found in toys. The U.S. media propagandized ALL the recalls to appear like they were lead related. Not only that, they don’t blame specific manufacturers that had lead problems in China, the U.S. media played it up as a “Chinese lead” problem. So, the impression is a bad and nasty ‘Chinese’ who were out to poison America’s children.
One then could argue, the Caucasians were in fact waging a smearing campaign against the Chinese (and non-Whites), and hence, the Chinese is viewed even less desirable as a mate.
So, how do you combat effectively what’s happening?
I don’t think you can ‘win’ by arguing against the general bigger trend. That bigger trend is tolerance and inter-mingling between races on this planet.
However, exposing Hollywood for it’s phobia against non-Whites and combating it is a worthy fight, because there is alignment with that general bigger trend people can all publicly aspire to.
Exposing the mainstream U.S. media for the blanket attack on ‘China’ and ‘Chinese’ is worthwhile, because the media is simply wrong, and rational people if given the chance to hear will eventually understand.
Hong Konger says
It’s not a statistical problem. Women are not breeding cows. Neither are men. They are individuals who are allowed to make their own decisions on all sorts of factors. Race is usually not the only one. For most it’s love, relationships, family. For more superficial people it may be money, social status or looks. Not every personal decision about marriage of children is about race.
I am a frequent reader but rare commenter. It seems to me like many threads, whether they start out about the Economist, or Vice President Xi, or a professor, end up being about people’s dating choices.
YinYang says
@Hong Konger
lol. I had that moment just now too after submitting my comment – we are at dating choices again!
It would be nice if we stay on topic, but this blog is a form of community, so conversations often spill across threads. Allen and I are not hard-nosed about that.
Allen says
I remember in a psych class in college, reading about Freud, seemed like everything eventually turned on sex and death. Every conscious or conscious motive and act eventually can be resolved to that.
Maybe we are just proving him right – everything is window dressing to what really matters – sex (who you date and get to propagate with) and death (if you don’t propagate you are done, your community is done)!
HA! Maybe this will be my last writing on this blog. I have achieved ENLIGHTENMENT…