Samuelson Gets It Wrong On China’s Foreign Policy

2010-02-15

Robert Samuelson, Op/Ed writer for the Washington Post, has some Spring Festival cheer in his new column, "The Danger Behind China's 'Me First' Worldview." I used to really enjoy Samuelson's econ-heavy columns, but since the Obama administration began, he's begun a downward spiral of cynicism and pessimism that is even too much for me.

The trend continues with his view of U.S.-China relations:

It's become apparent from recent events that America's political, business and scholarly elites have fundamentally misjudged China. Conflicts with China have multiplied.

[ . . . ]

The prevailing American assumption was that as China became richer, its interests and values would converge with those of the United States. China would depend increasingly on a thriving global economy. Freer domestic markets would loosen the stranglehold of the Communist Party.

OK, two problems here. First, I'm not sure that "the prevailing American assumption" is an accurate way to describe people who supported engagement. Sure, the Clinton administration and many engagement cheerleaders (myself included) suggested that friendly relations would speed along China's liberalization on many fronts. But not everyone believed that and yet pushed for engagement anyway for a variety of reasons, such as commercial benefits.
(More)