Obama and Hu – moving towards
Published: 22 November, 2009, 09:20
Edited: 23 November, 2009, 11:05
TAGS: Global warming, Meeting, Nuclear, Asia, Obama, Politics, Human rights, USA
Despite the smiles and glad handing, American President Barack Obama and China's Hu Jintao haven't come up with a panacea to their growing trade deficit. In fact, they achieved something different.
During his first official visit to China, President Obama failed to convince the Chinese about improving human rights or opening its doors to more American-made goods.
But the two leaders did come away with something positive – greater co-operation on nuclear energy and climate change.
The Presidents also discussed a strategy for more balanced growth, which could lead to more jobs in the US and higher living standards in Asia.
News analyst Pepe Escobar believes Obama now sees China as a peer.
“An American President has come here, 11 years after President Bill Clinton, not to lecture China, but to agree that China is, in fact, a peer," says Escobar. "Obama stop short of calling China a rival, and that’s exactly the thinking in Washington among Pentagon and the CIA circles. But at least he acknowledged publicly that they are peers. So, in fact this is an acknowledgement of a ‘G 2’ between US and China.”
22.11.2009, 05:23
Let’s tax sunshine & marijuana – ideas from NYLawmakers in the US have proposed a new five per cent tax on cosmetic surgery. Now web journalist Lori Harfenist, known as The Resident, hit the streets for some straight-talk on what else can be taxed. |
23.11.2009, 10:15
6 comments
US public demands a Fed auditProtesters gathered in New York on Sunday demanding accountability and transparency of the Federal Reserve Bank and joining what seems to be a nation-wide movement that calls for an audit of the Federal Reserve System. |
Yes the US better had acknowledge that China is their 'peer'. China is also the main reason that the dollar still has any value. The body language of the US President said it all during the visit - I have never seen Obama look so humble. You could almost here his thoughts - Please China, please keep buying our worthless paper dollar assets, and please don't dump the trillions you already have bought (at least not until we decide to dump it ourselves and write off all our debts). The US is on the way down and China have already the potential to equal them - the Chinese just haven't realised it - or they want us to think they haven't. Either way there are interesting times ahead............