Page 17 - The South China Business Journal
P. 17
Joint Chiefs of Staff, to meet with Xi. The first thing you tend to notice about the U.S.
The general also met with the People’s Embassy in Beijing is the line of visa applicants that
Liberation Army near the North Korean snakes down the block.
border — yet another hopeful sign in
Branstad’s eyes. It’s an indication of the robust level of travel between the
U.S. and China for business, education and tourism.
“Here is the United States and the
People’s Republic of China working Some 2,300 employees (both Americans and locally hired
together,” Branstad said, “and we have personnel) work in the complex of six buildings, spread
both indicated that we want to see a across more than 20 agencies.
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Tim Stratford, a partner with the Covington law firm in
Yet almost as Branstad uttered those Beijing, worked 30 years ago in the embassy. In 1991 he sent
words, Dunford was back in Washington, a cable back to Washington, D.C., when China still was
D.C., telling the U.S. Senate’s Armed more of a “curiosity” on the world stage.
Services Committee that “China probably
poses the greatest threat to our nation by Stratford warned his bosses: The U.S. trade deficit with
about 2025.” China that year would reach $8 billion. Within a few short
years he worried it could nearly double to $15 billion. The
As American leadership wrangles with its annual deficit now hovers around $350 billion.
modern relationship with China as more
ally or rival, the Chinese people mostly are “We got the trend right,” Stratford said, “but I think it
accustomed to the everyday backdrop of would’ve been hard to anticipate how large the relationship
North Korean nukes. has grown and how beneficial and also how challenging it’s
been.”
Donald Jia, 35, is deputy section chief
for the foreign and overseas Chinese Branstad is tackling the challenges of his new job with
affairs office in the city of Taizhou in an approach similar to his style as governor: old-fashioned
Jiangsu Province. He characterized both retail politics.
a geographic and demographic split in
attitudes to North Korea. Branstad already has promised to travel to each of China’s
23 provinces every year, starting with Iowa’s sister state of
Unsurprisingly, Chinese people closer to Hebei, echoing his annual tour of Iowa’s 99 counties.
the border worry more — perhaps most
of all about the potential for a nuclear South China Business Journal 15
accident. The glut of Chinese people
in orbit of the major southern cities of
Shanghai and Guangzhou have the luxury
of feeling farther removed from the
Trump-Kim feud.
More interesting is the generational
divide: Older Chinese people may be more
prone to support North Korea out of habit,
Jia said.
But many younger residents are likelier
to think that the time may have come to
back away from a neighboring regime that
at this point is only fomenting instability.
“Despite China’s support, they don’t
listen,” Jia said.
China watchers took note that Kim did
not launch any missiles to vex Xi during
the recent 19th Party Congress.
The general also met with the People’s Embassy in Beijing is the line of visa applicants that
Liberation Army near the North Korean snakes down the block.
border — yet another hopeful sign in
Branstad’s eyes. It’s an indication of the robust level of travel between the
U.S. and China for business, education and tourism.
“Here is the United States and the
People’s Republic of China working Some 2,300 employees (both Americans and locally hired
together,” Branstad said, “and we have personnel) work in the complex of six buildings, spread
both indicated that we want to see a across more than 20 agencies.
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Tim Stratford, a partner with the Covington law firm in
Yet almost as Branstad uttered those Beijing, worked 30 years ago in the embassy. In 1991 he sent
words, Dunford was back in Washington, a cable back to Washington, D.C., when China still was
D.C., telling the U.S. Senate’s Armed more of a “curiosity” on the world stage.
Services Committee that “China probably
poses the greatest threat to our nation by Stratford warned his bosses: The U.S. trade deficit with
about 2025.” China that year would reach $8 billion. Within a few short
years he worried it could nearly double to $15 billion. The
As American leadership wrangles with its annual deficit now hovers around $350 billion.
modern relationship with China as more
ally or rival, the Chinese people mostly are “We got the trend right,” Stratford said, “but I think it
accustomed to the everyday backdrop of would’ve been hard to anticipate how large the relationship
North Korean nukes. has grown and how beneficial and also how challenging it’s
been.”
Donald Jia, 35, is deputy section chief
for the foreign and overseas Chinese Branstad is tackling the challenges of his new job with
affairs office in the city of Taizhou in an approach similar to his style as governor: old-fashioned
Jiangsu Province. He characterized both retail politics.
a geographic and demographic split in
attitudes to North Korea. Branstad already has promised to travel to each of China’s
23 provinces every year, starting with Iowa’s sister state of
Unsurprisingly, Chinese people closer to Hebei, echoing his annual tour of Iowa’s 99 counties.
the border worry more — perhaps most
of all about the potential for a nuclear South China Business Journal 15
accident. The glut of Chinese people
in orbit of the major southern cities of
Shanghai and Guangzhou have the luxury
of feeling farther removed from the
Trump-Kim feud.
More interesting is the generational
divide: Older Chinese people may be more
prone to support North Korea out of habit,
Jia said.
But many younger residents are likelier
to think that the time may have come to
back away from a neighboring regime that
at this point is only fomenting instability.
“Despite China’s support, they don’t
listen,” Jia said.
China watchers took note that Kim did
not launch any missiles to vex Xi during
the recent 19th Party Congress.
