U.S. China Relationship Needs to Go Beyond Economics

Former NY Times Asia Correspondent and author Howard French spoke in conversation with Dr. George Koo at the Commonwealth Club in March, and discussed his reason for writing Everything Under the Heavens. French was puzzled as to why the countries in Asia (Japan, Korea, China) did not behave like those in Europe (Germany, France, UK), putting the World War behind them and moving on. (See post one.) He discovered China's size made the comparison impossible. China went from a small country made up of 4 provinces to a giant. (See post two.) From the early 19th-20th Centuries, China suffered from colonization: The Century of Humiliation. But they are back on their feet, "eager to be pre-eminent in the world" (French), "eager to be respected as a peer"(Koo.) (See post three.) 

Moderator George Lewinski: "In China, we have a man who says he wants to 'Make China great again.' In America, we have a man who says he wants to 'Make America great again.' What are your thoughts right now on the current Trump Administration?"

Author Howard French: "...I’m still just dumbfounded every time I see him speak. Every day brings—and I don’t say this just because of an ideological opposition to Trump...But the dumbfoundedness comes from something much more essential than ideology: Twitter. The way he comes across on Twitter. 

This is a person who clearly doesn’t have preparation for the job. He doesn’t have a history of consistent positions that are well thought through. He has a kind of infantile picture of things. His world view stopped developing in the 1980s. I could go on and on. And I don’t know where this is going to go for the United States, specifically, or with the larger relationship with China. I have a hard time imagining that this is going to end well. 

Dr. George Koo: "To make America great again, Trump is going to have to work with China. Because where is he going to get the money and the skills to build up the infrastructure that he promised? And we all know the United States badly needs infrastructure rebuilt. 

"China is already doing it: China Construction America (CCA) based in New Jersey bid and won an already established contract to build and refurbish the Alexander Hamilton Bridge...They are all American workers being supervised by CCA.  

"There’s CRRC, which is a rail car building company. They won a contract to re-supply the subway cars in Chicago. They’re building a plant in Chicago to make those cars.

"There’s an auto-glass company investing in Ohio...They will hire 3,000 employees. They will inject 20-30 million dollars every month into the Ohio economy. 

"This is what the Chinese typically call, 'Win-win arrangements.'"

French: "I don’t want to come across as the Prophet of Doom. But...economic integration between countries has very rarely served as a sufficient buffer to prevent war when other serious differences of national interest come to the fore. I can go back as far as Greece, or up to Syria.  Era after era it happens. I don’t mean to say this because the U.S. and China are predestined to have a war. I don’t think any of us want war. But finding a modus vivendi between these two countries is something that goes well beyond economic matters. It goes to kind of dispositions towards international order that’s barely begun to be worked out, and  needs to have a much more frank sustained and mature conversation.

(This concludes highlights of The U.S. and China in 2017. To listen to the full podcast, visit the Commonwealth Club.)