A New Strategic and Economic Dialogue with China
Op-Ed
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury
Op-Ed
The Wall Street Journal
July 27, 2009
When
the United States and China established diplomatic relations 30 years
ago, it was far from clear what the future would hold. In 1979, China
was still emerging from the ruins of the Cultural Revolution and its
gross domestic product stood at a mere $176 billion, a fraction of the
U.S. total of $2.5 trillion. Even travel and communication between our
two great nations presented a challenge: a few unreliable telephone
lines and no direct flights connected us. Today China’s GDP tops four
trillion dollars, thousands of emails and cellphone calls cross the
Pacific Ocean daily, and by next year there will be 249 direct flights
per week between the U.S. and China.
To keep up with these changes
that affect our citizens and our planet, we need to update our official
ties with Beijing. During their first meeting in April, President
Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao announced a new dialogue as part of
the administration’s efforts to build a positive, cooperative and
comprehensive relationship with Beijing. So this week we will meet
together in Washington with two of the highest-ranking officials in the
Chinese government, Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai
Bingguo, to develop a new framework for U.S.-China relations. Many of
our cabinet colleagues will join us in this “Strategic and Economic
Dialogue,” along with an equally large number of the most senior leaders
of the Chinese government. Why are we doing this with China, and what
does it mean for Americans?
Simply put, few global problems can be
solved by the U.S. or China alone. And few can be solved without the
U.S. and China together. The strength of the global economy, the health
of the global environment, the stability of fragile states and the
solution to nonproliferation challenges turn in large measure on
cooperation between the U.S. and China. While our two-day dialogue will
break new ground in combining discussions of both economic and foreign
policies, we will be building on the efforts of the past seven U.S.
administrations and on the existing tapestry of government-to-government
exchanges and cooperation in several dozen different areas.
At
the top of the list will be assuring recovery from the most serious
global economic crisis in generations and assuring balanced and
sustained global growth once recovery has taken hold. When the current
crisis struck, the U.S. and China acted quickly and aggressively to
support economic activity and to create and save jobs. The success of
the world’s major economies in blunting the force of the global
recession and setting the stage for recovery is due in substantial
measure to the bold steps our two nations have taken.
As we move
toward recovery, we must take additional steps to lay the foundation for
balanced and sustainable growth in the years to come. That will involve
Americans rebuilding our savings, strengthening our financial system
and investing in energy, education and health care to make our nation
more productive and prosperous. For China it involves continuing
financial sector reform and development. It also involves spurring
domestic demand growth and making the Chinese economy less reliant on
exports. Raising personal incomes and strengthening the social safety
net to address the reasons why Chinese feel compelled to save so much
would provide a powerful boost to Chinese domestic demand and global
growth.
Both nations must avoid the temptation to close off our
respective markets to trade and investment. Both must work hard to
create new opportunities for our workers and our firms to compete
equally, so that the people of each country see the benefit from the
rapidly expanding U.S.-China economic relationship.
A second
priority is to make progress on the interconnected issues of climate
change, energy and the environment. Our two nations need to establish a
true partnership to put both countries on a low-carbon pathway,
simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions while promoting
economic recovery and sustainable development. The cross-cutting nature
of our meetings offers a unique opportunity for key American officials
to meet with their Chinese counterparts to work on the global issue of
climate change. In the run-up to the international climate change
conference in Copenhagen in December, it is clear that any agreement
must include meaningful participation by large economies like China.
The
third broad area for discussion is finding complementary approaches to
security and development challenges in the region and across the globe.
From the provocative actions of North Korea, to stability in Afghanistan
and Pakistan, to the economic possibilities in Africa, the U.S. and
China must work together to reach solutions to these urgent challenges
confronting not only our two nations, but many others across the globe.
While
this first round of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue
offers a unique opportunity to work with Chinese officials, we will not
always agree on solutions and we must be frank about our differences,
including establishing the right venues to have those discussions. And
while we are working to make China an important partner, we will
continue to work closely with our long-standing allies and friends in
Asia and around the world and rely on the appropriate international
groups and organizations.
But having these strategic-level
discussions with our Chinese counterparts will help build the trust and
relationships to tackle the most vexing global challenges of today—and
of the coming generation. The Chinese have a wise aphorism: “When you
are in a common boat, you need to cross the river peacefully together.”
Today, we will join our Chinese counterparts in grabbing an oar and
starting to row.
