Yes, We Can Do It!

Obama’s town hall in Shanghai pleased me greatly. His silver tongue was on full display in appeasing the Chinese with conciliatory praise and refined humility. Humility, a word I would rarely associate with American politicians, is an extremely important trait in Asian cultures. He was not forceful, he was not arrogant, and he was the first to point out America’s hypocrisies. I think that this was something the Chinese wanted and needed to hear from an American leader.

Past U.S. presidents have taken a hard line with China: criticizing them for human rights violations, scrutinizing their currency manipulation, decrying domestic territorial disputes. Though I, and I think most Americans, would agree with the criticisms, the message that ends up coming across is infuriating to the Chinese: arrogant white Americans yelling at China for sins they themselves committed in the past. They did not take the time to hear China’s side of the story; they did not respect the country. “What gives America the right to tell China how to act? Mind your own damn business!”

What Obama is doing is befriending the Chinese. And friendship is the first step towards progress. Instead of telling China they need to treat their women better, he points out that the U.S. also has some antiquated views on women’s rights. Instead of telling China to reduce greenhouse gases, he challenges both our countries to improve. This is diplomacy 101.

Obama, in wax form.

An antagonistic attitude breeds resentment and halts discourse. A conciliatory approach shows respect, patience, and diligence. This time around the Chinese are thinking: “Obama is humble. As he should be. He recognizes that America does not have all the answers. The U.S. does have a larger carbon footprint per capita than China, but maybe we can work together to solve our problems.”

It remains to be seen whether such an approach will prove fruitful. It is true that Obama risks appearing weak, even losing face, by kowtowing to China. The forum was censored throughout the country, reached a small percentage of the population, and was largely staged. But I think that by bringing up issues, not through attacks on Chinese policy but by grouping the U.S. and China as allies, Obama has a much greater chance of influencing China’s leaders.