Hu Jintao Visit: A Diplomatic Fiasco; Bush Raises Refugee Issue
The meeting, the first at the White House between the men since Mr. Hu became China’s top leader in 2002, was plagued by gaffes that upended months of painstaking diplomacy over protocol and staging.
For millions of Americans, and for unknown numbers of Chinese able to penetrate the Great Firewall, the enduring image of Hu Jintao’s visit will not be the 21-gun salute he got, or the full state dinner he did not get, but the face of this Falun Gong protestor, Epoch Times press pass in hand, who spent nearly a full minute haranguing the Chinese dicator. Hu, a stolid and humorless man, was visibly jarred by confronting a citizen who dared express her discontent. The experience appears to have been a new one for Hu. Via the Washington Post:
“President Hu! Your days are numbered,” she shouted. “President Bush! Stop him from killing!” A startled Hu paused until Bush leaned over and encouraged him to continue. “You’re okay,” Bush assured Hu.
No wonder some of the papers described the incident has having lasted more than one minute. It must have seemed eternal. Awkward, to say the least. The White House later apologized, which I suppose was obligatory, but the damage was done. The Chinese, probably projecting, presume the existence of deceit.
(Having sneaked into a couple of allegedly secure events myself, I can verify that “secure” events often aren’t, although a minute is admittedly a long damn time to heckle a dictator. Some kind of record may have been set.)
It does not end there, reports the NY Times.
But Chinese Foreign Ministry officials traveling with Mr. Hu canceled an afternoon briefing. One delegation member, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the subject publicly, described his superiors as outraged by the breach.
Compounding the gaffe, a White House announcer introducing the national anthems at the same ceremony mistakenly referred to China as the Republic of China, which is the formal name of its archrival, Taiwan.
Ouch.
On North Korea, the Post reports:
In private, aides said, Bush raised the case of a North Korean asylum seeker, Kim Chun Hee, who was deported back to her homeland despite Chinese obligations under U.N. refugee conventions. He asked again about a list of Chinese political prisoners that he first gave Hu during a meeting at the United Nations in September and gave a new list of six detainees he hopes will be released. But Bush did not mention the persecution of Falun Gong, even with hundreds of its followers outside the White House banging drums, holding up banners and chanting, “Stop the killing, stop the torture.”
… as foreshadowed by James’s post of the other day. Indications that Hu will respond constructively: zero. The LA Times adds more, mostly on North Korea’s ongoing refusal to show up for nuclear talks. Nobody seems to have walked away happy, and with a determined new U.S. policy taking shape, U.S. officials suggest hearts and minds aren’t the regions where the vise will squeeze. China appears unwilling to help; the United States appears willing to proceed anyway.
[It] was clear that Hu left Bush unsatisfied on his request for help to restrain the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea.
Bush told reporters that in his Oval Office meeting with Hu, he had asked the Chinese president to use his leverage to win greater cooperation from neighboring North Korea, which has refused to rejoin stalled six-nations talks on its nuclear program.
On North Korea, Hu pointed out to Bush that the government in Pyongyang was unhappy with “defensive steps” the United States had taken to try to halt the regime’s alleged counterfeiting of U.S. currency and alleged drug trafficking.
“I hope the parties will be able to further display flexibility, work together and create the necessary conditions for the early resumption of talks,” Hu said.
Derek Mitchell, who was a senior advisor on Asia at the Pentagon during the Clinton administration, said he doubted the visit would mollify those in Congress who were unhappy with China.
“What they respond to is action,” said Mitchell, now a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “The commitment to economic reform that Hu made on the lawn won’t have any effect unless action follows it.”
As much as I’d like to think this series of disasters really was churlishness by miffed U.S. officials, my gut tells me this was really a case study in amateurish diplomacy.
This is really disappointing.
I have been disappointed in US understanding of Northeast Asia since I first studied in Japan in 1996. Do we really have that much lack of talent in DC in regards to a comprehensive understanding of the region? (I don’t mean Japan experts, Korea experts, China experts–I mean Northeast Asia experts).
Perhaps the problem is “politically incorrect” understanding of NE Asia? For example:
Chinese proliferation activities with Pakistan and Iran?
Its support of North Korea as it coax’s the nuclear jenie to grant it a few big bombs?
Its crude attempts to subvert American democracy with the Clinton cash payments during the 1996 campaign?
Its continuing crude treatment of dissenters?
Its rapid and thuggish military buildup facing a democratic Taiwan?
China’s continuing attempts to intimidate Japan with military incursions of Japanese territory?
Recklessly detaining 11 members of a P-3 airplane early in the Bush presidency.
This is certainly part of “comprehensive understanding of the region”.
Now having said that, allowing a Falon Gong protester to attend was an act of stupidity. Getting the names of the PRC and Republic of China confused was another act of incompetence. But had none of them happened, there still wouldn’t have been any concrete agreements.
Sorry, Hu. Freedom is untidy.
To me, the name thing is a gaff and nitpicking.
Who cares?
Well, a lot of people, given the pomp and aristocratic nature of State Visits — but I wouldn’t lose sleep over it or fire anybody over it….
Letting someon who wasn’t supposed to be in the area there (regardless of who they were) would, however, get me to lop off somebody’s head….
Well said. A minute in that kind of situation feels excruciatingly long.
Who gives a shit what the dictator Hu thought? Those commies will kill anyone who gets in their way. I’ll bet half the names on Bush’s list are dead already, their organs transplanted in some rich “tourists”.
It’s extremely bad form to pose as a journalist and abuse your access for a non newsgathering agenda, let alone a protest. The Afghan hero Massoud (sp?) was murdered by Arab (al Qaeda, I believe) suicide bombers posing as TV interviewers.
She is actually a journalist, depending on your definition of the word. She is (was) on the staff of “Epoch Times”, a Falun Gong newsletter/website. Maybe the WH press office was reeling from McClellan’s departure, but it would have taken about 30 seconds on “google” to find that this woman was affiliated with F.G. and had been involved in a number of disruptive protests in the past. Lazy.
Well, it was amateur hour yesterday.
Whatever my feelings toward Hu or sympathies for practioners of Falun Gong who suffer from oppression, disrupting a White House event is, at minimum, unseemly.
Still, all the things that went wrong yesterday… couldn’t have happened to a nicer visiting head of state!
[For those of you who seem deficient in something called “humor,” that was a sarcastic remark — I do not, repeat, I do NOT think Hu is a nice guy.]
I agree that the White House fucked up royally here. Epoch Times is a well-known cult newsletter — not that that diminishes the very real suffering of the cultists. Hu experienced what can only be considered blowback from his predecessor’s gross and brutal mishandling of a harmless group of heavy breathers.
Why are you calling Hu a dictator again? Hu has a term limit of 2 terms according to the Chinese constitution (1982).
This woman had in the past confronted Jiang Zemin. Jiang instead of having her sholved away, called her back and personally tried to explain to her why Falun Gong is harmful. It appears that they really wanted to help the Falun Gong believers, but the believers take it the other way.
See photos:
http://www.darrinzammitlupi.com/30jul01.htm
Joshua,
Mahathir_fan has a point, Hu is technically an oligarch.
mahathir_fan,
Falun Gong is mainly harmful to the oligarchs in Peking who are afraid that any freedom of religion is a threat to their hold on power. I do find it strange that the heads of a 3.25 million man military force would be so afraid of a bunch of old ladies doing funny exercises but I guess they remember the Taiping rebellion.
Andy, the head of a one-party state dictatorship is a dictator.
P.S. Perhaps you don’t know who Mahathir_fan is.
The way I generally think…
the gaff with the name is a one day news story and as a item that makes you smile – not something that means anything.
And the importance of the issue of the woman getting in has nothing to do with who she represents or even that she heckled the guy.
Security around big time US government (and visiting) bit shots should be extremely tight. Occasionally people will get through, and when they do, it should be a bad day (and following weeks) for all those in charge and running security.
If I start to think about the item concerning the international prestige and image faux pas of having a big head of state embarrassed like that —-
I can’t make myself care more than nothing.
Is China or the US going to alter major (or even minor) policy issues because of that one limited tense moment?
No.
Is it going to effect trade, investment, NK policy cooperation (or lack thereof), or the bilateral tension over human rights or the treatment of people inside China?
No. Both nations are too big, too sophisticated in formulating policy, and too important to each other, and too powerful on their own, for such a tiny event to amount to much of anything.
This is a press baby and maybe good blogging material in China and the US – but it has no legs – meaning its ability to effect public/social perception in either nation is not going to reach the level of effecting policy even short term.
Hu is a very popular democratic leader not just in Mainland China but in Hong Kong. According to a recent survey, he ranks 3rd in popularity among Chinese politicians by the Hong Kong people.
1) Wen Jia Bao
2)Zhu Rongji
3) Hu Jin Tao
6) Ma Ying Jiu
10) Chen Siu Bian
http://hkupop.hku.hk/english/release/release361.html
His government is democratically elected in 2003. If you misssed news coverage on the nationwide election, you can still read bits of it here:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-12/08/content_288018.htm
I told you, Andy.
This is the deserved punishment for taking seriously pathetic trolls.
Fellows, don’t waist your time with Mahathir_fan. I tried to have constructive dialog with him on NK Zone blog and his mind is pure boiler plate CCP indoctrination.
He even responded to his own post anonymously saying how smart he was and how great his ideas were and such….
Troll is probably an accurate word to describe him, I guess.
This is my experience.
I’m relatively new to this blog and have been really enjoying it.
Thanks for all the contributions.
Kevin,
I never responded to my own post anonymously. There is nothing for me to gain or hide. I have not even been to mainland China, and CCP’s rule in China does not benefit me a single cent. I am merely someone who reads news, and question the conclusions drawn by the so called “experts”. The so called “experts” tell me China is not a democracy. I researched the facts and find that it does meet all criterias to be considered a democracy. If you think there is an objective criteria that China does not meet to be considered a democracy, then please say it.
Anyway, back to the topic, I believe that the fallout of this protest is again similar to Tiananmen. A win situation for the hardliners within the CPC.
The Tiananmen incident was a big mistake for reforms had already began since 1982 when China created its new constitution. Because of Tiananmen,the hardliners within the CPC were able to use the incident to arm twist the reformers within the CPC to give up their influences. Case in point, Zhao ZiYang was put under house arrested. There is no saying how many more pragmatic reformers within the CPC party that has their power and influences stripped from them as a result of the civil unrest created by the Tiananmen incident in 89.
The hardliners within the CPC is likely to use this FLG incident to arm twist the reformers within the CPC to take tougher and stricter measures to curb the FLG practitioners.
Hu, as well as other powerful reformers within the CPC party, in order to consolidate their influences is likely going to be pressured into responding to the hardliners. If he doesn’t do so, his influences will wane, althoght it is unlikely that he would not be put under house arrest. This incident is not serious enough to warrant such actions.
But definitely, the pragmatic reformers within the CPC party now has to answer to their hardliners how they would respond to this incident as well as other gaffs that happened on that day. It is likely that the pragmatic reformers within the CPC will now have to pretend to play the “tough guy” for a while to fend of any attempts to discredit them by the hardliners.
Why worry? China is a democracy!
My God…
Let’s make Troll Abatement or Darwin Awards Seed funds available for young M_F’s maiden trip to the PRC. Let’s make it a study tour, in which M_F campaigns on the streets of several big cities for a 3-week period. Even days, M_F wears a green tee-shirt and campaigns for The Democratic Progressive Party, using that party’s slogans. On odd days, M_F will don a yellow tee-shirt and appeal for clemency for Falun Gong.
Once in custody, M_F will be allowed one phone call to contact the Malaysian embassy, but that call must be routed through a PRC officeholder who was selected by voters in the territory in which the arrest took place.
Ben,
Oops, sorry.
Sky TV aired a report last week that confirms important claims The Epoch Times has made in its own investigations into organ harvesting in China.
This report verifies that:
organs for transplantation are very plentiful in China;
they are available on demand;
the organs are supplied from prisoners;
the prisoners are killed after they are found to match a patient who is awaiting a donor organ.
Reporter Dominic Waghorn and at least one other staff member from Sky TV visited the Orient Organ Transplantation Center in Beijing with a hidden camera, posing as someone whose father needed a liver.
Waghorn begins his report by noting that in China, unlike the West, there is “a seemingly endless supply of livers…the reasons why are deeply sinister.”
The nurse who welcomes him at the hospital cheerfully explains that their hospital can get organs “the fastest” because it has the ” best connections.” Waghorn explains the hospital publicly admits its links to China’s paramilitary police.
Hu Jin-tao and his shadowy puppet-master Jiang Ze-min who nefariously plots his machinations from behind the scenes, as well as all of the ancient soldier-fossils and the younger ones who support them are keeping their totalitarian hold on the people of China through murder, terror, intimidation and an intransigence that is unbelievable. They must be deposed by the people they oppress and liquidated for the good of the country. If the people are too cowardly or weak to kill them, assassination must be used. ‘Lil Kim Jong Mentally-Ill must also be knocked off along with the goose-stepping toy soldier/old fossils and younger cohorts of North Korea. Red China and North Korea’s despotic leaders must be killed for the sake of their respective countries as well as the safety of the rest of the world. Ditto for the mullahs in Iran and fanatical Jihadists in arabia and the rest of the world. Oh, for an ASSASSINATION BUREAU(like the movie of the same name)!