US Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) has recently announced the Senate
would establish a group, the Senate China Working Group, in 2006
for a better understanding of China.
Half a year ago, two groups were established by the US Congress
for the same purpose. Now a third one -- it seems US lawmakers have
never paid so close attention to China before.
In fact, in recent years, China has been taken as a hot spot by
the US.
Almost all US major media, think tanks, as well as a number of
government officials have actively held discussions on a wide range
of topics related to China, showing their unusually intense
interest and enthusiasm in China.
Against such a background, the Congress, dedicated to examining
foreign policy, also started seeking to get to know and understand
China.
According to Coleman, the Senate China Working Group will serve
to better understand China and its intention. Americans should
improve their skill in negotiation with China and analyze the
consequent opportunities and challenges China's rise will bring to
the US.
The US House of Representatives took the first step in the
group-making, but senators, with a bigger say, not only proposed a
more concrete bill, but also asked for US$1.3-billion funds
(corresponding to China's 1.3-billion population) for the purpose
of boosting bilateral exchanges.
The implications reflected from the measures taken by the US
houses to pay intensified attention to China, is multi-faceted.
First, a rising China has drawn attention from outside
world.
The Congress has lagged behind in foreign policy-making, which
was assigned to administrative departments. Since rising China has
grown to be a factor that the US cannot afford to overlook both
internally and externally, the dissatisfied Congress started
involving itself in the formulation of China policy, on which
tit-for-tat Republicans and Democrats sometimes agree with each
other.
Second, worries stimulate wish to know China.
In the first half year of 2005, there was a wild fanfare of
"China Threat" in the US, leaving a majority of congress members
full of concern and worries. Believing an unstoppable rise of
China, they are all the more obliged to unravel what a country they
are facing, a friend or a foe.
Third, the reality urges a reasonable mind.
Some Congress members who are not so well informed in world
affairs are vulnerable to the power of ideology, which naturally
infuses them no positive feeling towards the "red China".
The fact, however, is the already formed interdependence between
the two countries in terms of economy and trade, and their
irreplaceable cooperation in politics and security. As for America,
it cannot sustain with the untrue world seen from a pair of colored
glasses nor can it benefit most unless it takes the reality
reasonably and gets to know the other side better, hence the China
groups of both houses.
The US Congress used to be the camp in which negative views on
China were formed, therefore it must take some time for it to have
a change. Plus the limitations of the group members and the
counterbalance of opponent organizations, how big a role the groups
will play in the future policy-making is still a question mark.
Nevertheless, it should be seen that the heavy negation over
China, largely due to the traditional pattern of party game putting
China as the blame and the lawmakers professionally overlooking the
national interest when taking care of their own voters; it's also
the result of few changes for them to come into contact with the
country they make such judgments.
In this regard, such China working groups at least can inject
some enthusiasm in their minds while adding objectivity in their
views which play an immensurable role.
It has been proved that those US lawmakers, who wished to know
China and actually visited China, have improved their attitudes
towards China after going back from their tours. In this sense, the
China working groups formed one after another are far more
significant for laying a foundation in the long run and playing an
incomparable role than just passing a couple of bills favorable to
China.
(People's Daily?January 11, 2006)
