Talking Points: July 29 - August 12, 2009

Talking Points
July 29 - August 12, 2009

White House photo by Pete Souza.

To open the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue meeting in Washington, DC on Monday, President Barack Obama drew upon two Chinese giants. He quoted contemporary basketball superstar Yao Ming and the influential ancient philosopher Mencius. Yao, he explained, taught that you have to get to know your new teammates. The S&ED meeting afforded Chinese officials a chance to get to know and hopefully begin to forge bonds of trust with the new American officials. The President used a quotation from Mencius to argue that lines of communication need to be used or like paths they quickly evaporate. Secretary of State Clinton also drew upon the vast storehouse of Chinese proverbs in her speeches and op-ed pieces. She suggested that the U.S. and China were in the same boat and needed to be pulling together in one direction and she argued that working together Americans and Chinese could even move Mt. Tai. More than anything else, the meeting offered dozens of top American and Chinese leaders a chance to forge relationships and to begin to move beyond rhetoric to concrete discussion of key economic, security, and environmental concerns.

Click here to see video of Obama’s opening remarks, excerpts from other leaders, statistical data on some of the issues, a copy of the agreement to work towards addressing climate change, and photos.

Three major surveys of global public opinion have been published in the last ten days. We’ll have a detailed story on them at our website on Monday. For now, though, these results may be of interest:

More Chinese (47%) have a favorable impression of the U.S. than they did in 2008 (41%). About a quarter of the Chinese who were surveyed said they saw the U.S. as an enemy. 59% of Chinese expect China to replace the U.S. as a superpower. 57% of the Americans surveyed said that will never happen.

Chinese are more optimistic about the near and long term economic future than Americans. Eight out of 10 Chinese think the Chinese economy will improve over the next year. Only half of Americans believe that. Nearly 9 of 10 Chinese say the next generation will be better off than this one. Only 36% of Americans think that.

A quarter of Americans said there were times in the past year they could not afford food, health care, and clothing. A third of Chinese said there were times they could not afford health care, 11% said there were times they couldn’t afford food and 16% said there were times they could not afford clothing.

Unlike most of those surveyed, a majority of Americans (56%) and Chinese (70%) do not believe global warming is a serious problem. Of course, it is the U.S. and China that are emitting the largest amounts of greenhouse gases.

Two dozen talented educators from California, Washington, and New York are at USC for our two-week intensive summer institute on East Asia since 1800. To learn more about our programs and other resources, please subscribe to our Teaching about Asia newsletter. You can find out about it and more in the K-12 Curriculum section of our website.

Please share Talking Points with friends and colleagues. They can subscribe at http://china.usc.edu.

Best wishes,
The USC U.S.-China Institute
http://china.usc.edu
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California 

08/10/2009: China Economic Stimulus Package and Cleantech: Opportunities for US Exporters
Location: Palo Alto, CA
For information & registration, email Karl Kailing
408-535-2757
Karl.Kailing@mail.doc.gov
The Department of Commerce Renewable Energy Specialists will address current plans, policies and trade promotion activities.

North America  

07/31/2009: Reporting the News in China: First-Hand Accounts and Current Trends
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 628, Washington, DC
Cost: Free
Time: 2:00PM - 3:30PM
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China presents a roundtable discussion. 

08/03/2009: Deter, Defend, Repel, and Partner: A Defense Strategy for Taiwan
Wohlstetter Conference Center, Twelfth Floor, AEI
1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036
Time: 9:30AM - 11:00AM
A report of the Taiwan policy working group.

Exhibitions 

02/10/2009 - 08/09/2009: Asian Journeys: Collecting Art in Post-war America
Asia Society and Museum
Address: 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10021
Phone: 212-517-ASIA
Asia Society and Museum in New York presents John D. Rockefeller 3rd's exceptional collection of Asian art, as well as that of their adviser Sherman E. Lee.

11/03/2008 - 11/03/2009: Ancient Arts of China: A 5000 Year Legacy
Bowers Museum
2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, California 92706
Bowers Museum presents a collection that portrays the evolution of Chinese technology, art and culture. 

11/14/2008 - 11/14/2009: Chinese Art: A Seattle Perspective
Seatle Asian Art Museum
1400 East Prospect Street , Volunteer Park , Seattle, WA 98112–3303
The Seattle Asian Art Museum presents an opportunity to see a collection with representative works from each dynastic period. 

11/15/2008 - 11/15/2009: Masters of Adornment: The Miao People of China
Bowers Museum
2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, California 92706
The Bowers Museum presents a collection of exquisite textiles and silver jewelry that highlights the beauty and wealth of the Miao peoples of southwest China. 

02/12/2009 - 02/12/2010: Art of Adornment: Tribal Beauty
Bowers Museum
2002 N. Main, Santa Ana, CA
Cost: $5
An exhibit featuring body adornments from indigenous peoples around the world 

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