The Rising East
A Chinese scholar who is supposedly an authority on the United States has written an article that only underscores how little he and the vast majority his compatriots really know about America. Coupled with American ignorance of China, the consequence is the danger of miscalculation in relations between the two. Chinese perceptions of
America are often
based on ignoranceWang Jisi, director of the Institute of American Studies in the Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, says most Chinese see the U.S. at home as "beautifully developed, governed and maintained." In contrast, they view the U.S. on the international scene as "an unattractive and malign presence."
Writing in the spring issue of the Wilson Quarterly, a high-brow journal published by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, Wang says Chinese "do not accept America's assertion that it acts in the world only on moral principles. They believe that self-interest drives U.S. foreign policy."
Wang's thesis has several holes in it. He cites no evidence of what he calls "America's assertion." As we say in the news game, "where's the quote?" Moreover, the statement is naive. Of course self-interest drives American policy, just as it drives the policy of China, Russia, Japan, Britain and Burkina Faso.
More troubling is that Wang evidently doesn't understand the complexity of America's international stance. In its simplest terms, it is constant struggle between idealists who worship at the altar of Woodrow Wilson and realists whose current high priest is former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
In a more subtle view, almost every decision in U.S. foreign policy is driven by a fresh mix of domestic politics, economics, national security and the world views of those engaged in the decision. Consider the differences between President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell on one hand and President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on the other.
Wang evinces an ignorance of the workings of the robust American democracy when he writes that Chinese "particularly resent members of the U.S. Congress who know little about international issues yet attempt to impose sanctions on other nations." He does not recognize that Americans, 212 years ago, chose to govern themselves with elected representatives who are to reflect the wishes of their constituents, not the views of specialists.
As Sen. Joseph Biden, the Delaware Democrat who is the new chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, says on the committee's web site: "No foreign policy can be sustained without the informed consent of the American people."
Moreover, Wang underestimates the experience of key members of Congress in foreign affairs, and of their unseen but professional staffs. Altogether, they wield tremendous influence in hearings, debate on the floor and votes.
In the Senate, Biden has been recognized by the authoritative Congressional Quarterly as one of 12 Americans who have made a difference in foreign policy. On the Republican side, the formidable Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina holds controversial views but has assembled a powerful staff to advise him.
Wang is on especially weak ground when he parrots the Chinese line that "U.S. strategy is designed to Westernize, divide and weaken China," an allegation that flies in the face of the engagement policy followed by every American president from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush. Wang gives no evidence and no quote for this statement -- because it doesn't exist except on the fringes of American policy.
Several years ago in Shanghai, this writer asked a group of young adults why they thought the U.S. was out to "contain" China when no leader of either American political party advocated such a course. The reply: "It's in all the papers." Containment is a figment of the imagination of Chinese leaders, postulated for their own internal political reasons.
Wang sums up: "Deep in the Chinese mind lurks a strange combination of images of America -- a repressive hegemon, a sentimental imperialist, a grave threat, a hypocritical crusader, a contagious disease, a successful polity, a gorgeous land, a ravishing culture, an indispensable partner, a fond dream and a patronizing teacher."
A question for Dr. Wang: If the Chinese have such mixed and negative feelings about America, how come 30,000 to 40,000 Chinese students are in American schools at any given time?
Richard Halloran is editorial director of the Star-Bulletin.
He can be reached by e-mail at rhalloran@starbulletin.com