Early prospects for the Obama administration's strategic agenda with China.

• Author: Sylvester, John
• Position: Barack Obama

EARLY PROSPECTS FOR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION'S STRATEGIC AGENDA WITH CHINA

http://www.fpri.org/enotes/200904.shambaugh.obamastrategicagendachina.html

By David Shambaugh

That President Obama has inherited a sensible China policy from his predecessor, and will undoubtedly continue it, is the main point of a solid Foreign Policy Research Institute article by Dr. Shambaugh, a professor at George Washington University and a fellow at the Brookings Institution.

He notes that the "Sino-American relationship appears to be the best it has been in the twenty years since the traumatizing Tiananmen events of 1989." The Bush administration pressed China to become a "responsible international stakeholder" and initiated the dialogue to help make it happen. The effort to cooperate with China, though, has been paralleled by wariness in Washington over China's military modernization and lack of clarity on its strategic ambitions.

Shambaugh describes Secretary Clinton's initial visit to Beijing, during which she called for continuity in a "positive and cooperative relationship." She specified the issues as climate change, energy, arms control, and global financial stability. Besides specifically the North Korean ambition for nuclear weapons, the other numerous problems include currency manipulation, maritime security, Iran, Darfur, and, of course, Taiwan. Shambaugh notes, in addition, the...