In 1992, Bill Clinton, then the Democrat candidate for president, savagely attacked President George H.W. Bush for promoting friendly ties with China. In a stunning reversal, however, Clinton endorsed the Bush administration's policy toward Beijing shortly after his election and eventually described China as America's "strategic partner".
Ironically, George W. Bush employed almost identical tactics when seeking to defeat then Vice-President Al Gore, during the 2000 presidential campaign. Bush pegged China as a "strategic competitor" of the US. Following the election, however, Bush proclaimed that China is the "most important" country in Asia and an "emerging marvel".
High-ranking administration officials now boast that relations between the two countries have never been better.
Unfortunately, the practice of "China-bashing" is once again rearing its ugly head and weaving its way into the fabric of an American presidential campaign.
In a scene eerily reminiscent of past electoral contests, Hillary Clinton is now calling on President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games. She has even gone one step further than Representative Nancy Pelosi, US Speaker of the House, who requested that the president "consider" such a move.
But the proclamation is nothing more than a gimmick designed to embarrass the president, put his party on the defensive and help Clinton win support during her faltering presidential campaign.
The time has arrived for American politicians to refrain from the practice of "bashing" China as a means to secure votes. They would be well advised to remember that Washington needs Beijing's cooperation to cope with a wide range of pressing global problems, including terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, environmental degradation, health issues, dwindling energy supplies and the continuing crises on the Korean Peninsula, to name just a few.
To be sure, China is very important strategically to the US. But there is more at stake here. One suspects that some politicians have no inkling of the significance that the Olympic Games hold for the ordinary Chinese people.
University students are enthusiastically volunteering to serve as guides and help make the Games a success. Shop keepers and taxi drivers are practicing foreign languages in the hope they will make visitors feel more welcome. Homes and businesses are being spruced up. And everyone here shares the common perception that politics should be kept separate from sporting events.
To call for a boycott of any part of the Olympic Games is not only irresponsible, it's an insult to the Chinese people.
The author is a Fulbright exchange professor at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing and professor of political science at Missouri State University
(China Daily April 29, 2008)
