Author: Charles W. Freeman III, CSIS

As was to be expected, President Hu Jintao encountered increasing ambivalence among mainstream policy circles about the US relationship with China on his recent US state visit.

This is worth examination: US policy toward China has been remarkably consistent over the past 40 years. While originally conceived in a Cold War context, the fundamental thrust of that policy is to engage China and build equities for Beijing in a US-led international order in such a way as to (1) reduce Beijing’s interests in disrupting or challenging that order; and (2) encourage Beijing to contribute positively to the maintenance and strengthening of that order. Read more…

Author: Charles W. Freeman III, CSIS

President Barack Obama’s upcoming trip to India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan follows similar whirlwind Asia trips by Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. With the G20 meeting in Seoul providing the keystone of this marathon demonstration of the administration’s commitment to engagement with Asia, the president’s trip will take place against a backdrop of rising concerns in Asia about the frailty of the US and global economic recovery and US policy objectives and limitations to manage any new crisis.

At the finance ministers meeting in Gyeongju, Korea, in late October, Secretary Geithner and other participants sought to quell fears of a ‘currency war’ by pledging support for a strong dollar policy and committing not to succumb to temptations to devalue currencies for competitive purposes. Read more…