Monday, November 16, 2009 7:41 AM
China hugs Harper
Norman Spector
Looking at the front page of my morning read, I see a large photo of President Barack Obama under an umbrella as he disembarks Air Force One. Which is pretty much what you’d expect to see when the President of the USA (aka the G1) arrives in Beijing to visit the President of China (aka — for now — as the G2). Except for the fact that on the front page of the China Daily, I spy a photo of our very own Prime Minister Stephen Harper chatting away with President Hu Jintao, while the disembarking President carrying the very same umbrella only rates a smaller photo below the fold.
Before Conservative partisans get carried away with any thoughts that their man is the more popular of the two North American leaders, let’s parse the situation.
The China Daily is an official publication, and the choice of photos reflects the party line. At the APEC meeting, China and Canada ended up as allies on the issue of U.S. trade protectionism. And it’s no secret that the Chinese are interested in Canada’s resources — even the ‘dirty’ oil from Alberta that some Americans don’t want to touch.
China, the world’s largest carbon emitter, has no such qualms. And, though it may be hard to believe, the Chinese have not been swept away by Barack Obama.
For one thing, George W. Bush was very popular in China (as well as in Albania) throughout his tenure. In part, that’s due to his father’s having been ambassador to Beijing and having been pro-China since that time. It’s also due to the fact that China thrived under the presidency of George Bush junior.
Since last November’s election, the Chinese have been wary of Barack Obama. In part, that’s due to the protectionism that they associate with the Democratic Party. It’s also due to the fact that China is now the United States’s banker, and the two countries are to an increasing extent competitors. But mostly it’s because China fears the world-wide popularity of Mr. Obama — a strategic asset that U.S. policy-makers believe can help achieve their international objectives. And a popularity — particularly in the era of the internet and social media — that China’s leaders aren’t eager to have at work as they seek to maintain their authoritarian system of government.
