Talk Story
China’s vice president
enjoys Hawaiian holidayTHE LIKELY future leader of 1.3 billion Chinese, 59-year-old Vice President Hu Jintao, came through town last weekend on a mission to visit Ben and Vicky Cayetano, the Arizona Memorial, San Francisco, Ground Zero, Kofi Annan, members of Congress, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush, in that order.
On Saturday, the Cayetanos hosted a luncheon at the Hilton's Tropics Showroom to honor Hu and his wife, Liu Yongqing.
Charo, the Tropics' last big draw, is a tough act to follow. However, Hu attracted some 200 of Honolulu's Who's Who.
When I showed up, an hour early as requested to accommodate the metal detectors, Brenda Lei Foster, Ben's executive assistant, was bustling to resolve last-minute details.
Foster's command of both Mandarin and international affairs made her the state's point person back in 1997, when President Jiang Zemin stopped here on his way to meet then-President Clinton. Jiang's Honolulu layover succeeded so well that his heir apparent followed his footsteps to Hawaii en route to Washington.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL took advantage of Jiang's visit to raise a ruckus outside Washington Place, but there were no hecklers hassling Hu at the Hilton.
Since Hu's career includes a stint governing Tibet, where he oversaw the violent suppression of local unrest in 1989, it's unlikely he'll be spared unwelcome attention throughout his trip.
Saturday's event, however, was all sweetness and light.
As a child of the Cold War, finding myself lunching with genuine Red Chinese Communists was a bit of a letdown. Three members of the Hu entourage were at our table, Xu Hangtian of the People's Foreign Ministry and two plain-clothes security guys wearing navy blue suits, discrete little earphones tucked into their collars.
No Mao jackets these days -- most of the comrades wore aloha shirts, including Xu, who proved a master of both Western silverware and small talk.
He complimented Hawaii Visitor and Convention Bureau emcee Wei-Wei Ojiri's Chinese pronunciation as she bilingually made introductions. "Her accent is not quite as precise as a native's, but it's very good," he said.
Cayetano welcomed the V.P., noting that Hawaii's Chinese ties go back centuries. He recalled that Sun Yat-sen lived and went to school in Hawaii, and said China faces an exciting decade that includes joining the World Trade Organization and hosting the 2008 Olympics.
A Hu delegate told The New York Times that Taiwan is the most important issue in Sino-U.S. relations. China sees it as a breakaway province, while the Bush administration has been sending it signals of stronger support.
Xu told me he couldn't understand the American fascination with Taiwanese independence. "Don't Americans understand that it is part of China?" he asked.
What is happening in Hong Kong and Macao shows that change is good, Xu said. Meeting WTO membership requirements will demand lots of it.
The tiny dancers of Halau Hula Olana interrupted us, swaying their way between the tables and bringing conversation to a halt with grace, poise and bright smiles.
Vice President Hu rose to say Hawaii is a "link between the Chinese and American peoples ... China and the United States share common interests in security and economic development in the Asia-Pacific region." He said he hopes his visit will further the consensus on important issues shared by Presidents Jiang and Bush.
Leaving, I saw two of the girls from the Halau Hula Olana. Still wearing haku but changed into shorts, they were happily trying to catch the fish in the Hilton fountains.
When they grow up, I wondered, would they remember performing for the leader of the largest nation on Earth?
John Flanagan is the Star-Bulletin's contributing editor.
He can be reached at: jflanagan@starbulletin.com.