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Exploring Chinese Disappointment with Lack of Public Impact with Xi Jinping'
s State Visit to the U.S.
by Howard French
Many of my former students as well as Chinese friends in the US and
elsewhere have noted, often with dismay, that Xi Jinping's ongoing visit to
the US has garnered little attention, at least with the broad public.
It's my sense that this is very largely a result of timing. The Pope's visit
is the event of the week this week (I'll come back to this in just a moment
), taking up most of the world news oxygen. On top of that, on Friday, House
Speaker John Boehner announced his retirement.
There are a few things that make all of this worth dwelling on, though. It
is often remarked that what China craves most, and perhaps Xi Jinping in
particular, is "respect" in the world, and whatever nice face Chinese
diplomats put on this now, the low profile around this visit and about Xi
undoubtedly stings a bit. Maybe even a lot.
This should also be an occasion for China to self-reflect deeply also,
though, but I'm doubtful it will. I'm thinking first of the great extent to
which Beijing went to actually prevent Obama from connecting with the
Chinese public during his first visit there: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/05/world/asia/05china.html In other words, these things cut both ways.
Finally, there is the question of the level of China's own public diplomacy
"game." Xi has worked hard at engaging the public imagination, and
represents a vast change from Hu Jintao, but in many respects, official
China's ways of dealing with the media and with public diplomacy still
remain extremely conservative and stilted. Everything is scripted. There's
little give and take. Speeches are full of stock phrases. Euphemism reigns.
So does, at least by inference, defensiveness. There's little willingness to
engage on areas where China is criticized.
Here's where one comes to the Pope's visit again. Francis dominated the
airwaves in part because he has cultivated such a human persona, but also in
part because his language and his messages are so broadly universal and so
often seem stirringly real (and immediate). Xi (and China) have not found a
way to compete at this level yet. So far, it's mostly about economic growth,
the vague promise of "win-win;" we lifted 300 million out of poverty, etc.
No doubt these are important, but it's a narrow rhetorical range, and there'
s not nearly enough universal aspiration there |
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