Stir Fried China

This is Part 2 of my pre-visit thoughts on President Obama’s visit to China next week. In Part 1 I focused on issues, but here I want to talk about why I think that Obama will get a very warm welcome in China next week (despite some Chinese English publications such as this one trying to tone down his overwhelming worldwide popularity).

First of all, lets face it, Obama is cool. Most likely the coolest president ever. He’s a rock-star, etc., etc. China’s citizenry is just as susceptible to coolness as every other citizenry in the world, and if for no other reason than his coolness and his personality, Obama will be very well received. Ok, enough scientific analysis.

Secondly, most world leaders (Japan is often a notable exception) are usually very well received in China, and the higher profile the country, generally the bigger the reception and discussion. I lived in three different cities in China, including in Beijing for five years, and I can certainly say that when a major country’s leader arrives – never mind the US president – the city is slightly transformed, and the coverage in the press and the talk in the street really in my experience dwarfs anything that happens in the US (that said, I’ve never lived in DC, maybe there are similarities). People genuinely want to hear what the leader says, and discussion is usually very positive towards how that country and China are going to improve relations. Of course, US-China relations are somewhat unique, but the same respect and spirit of cooperation is usually present when a US president visits.

Speaking of US presidents, as I mentioned in Part 1, probably the only nail that GW Bush Jr. will be able to hang his hat on in foreign relations for posterity is his administration’s work with China. In this one country, Obama actually has to live UP to the well-liked Bush’s reputation, instead of trying to piece together the shattered remnants as he’s had to do with other nations. That said, Bush’s stewardship of the US economy has really put China (and the world) in a bind, so even in China, Obama will have to sweep up a few shards.

I’m going to conclude this short post with the defining word on Obama: hope. Of all the things that could possibly endear Obama to the Chinese people, their shared hope for the future is probably it. China’s citizens are some of the most hopeful in the world. They see a bright future, and Obama’s defining attribute is his ability to inspire hope, so they should get along quite fine.