‘Chinese aren’t communist; Chinese are Chinese’: Congressman

Finally, some western politicians realize that the Chinese are not communists but “Chinese are Chinese”… The following clip is from the Washington Post’s John Pomfret:

Although many Americans still view China with deep suspicion because of its communist system and human rights record, the results of Beijing’s image-and-influence campaign are clear. Members of Congress “are starting to understand that the Chinese are not communist but that the Chinese are Chinese,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.). China is Oregon’s biggest export market after Canada.

“China is an overarching backdrop to almost everything that I am involved with,” said the seven-term congressman, adding that on matters as diverse as the U.S. economy, climate change and energy policy, “China is something that no one can ignore.”

For years, as China steadily rose to global economic and political heights, it all but ignored the U.S. Congress, with outreach to American lawmakers left to friends in the business community. But now China has launched a multimillion-dollar lobbying effort so effective that it is challenging the heralded efforts of nemesis Taiwan.

A decade ago, U.S. politicians of all stripes routinely subjected China to attacks. Now acts of benevolence are more likely — such as a resolution commemorating the 2,560th birthday of Chinese philosopher Confucius, which the House overwhelmingly approved in October.

“There was originally this kind of anti-communist view of China,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who in 1979 became the first U.S. mayor to visit China when she ran San Francisco. “That’s changing. . . . China is a socialist country but one that is increasingly becoming capitalistic.”

The new openness toward China is often subtle and not shared by all. But an undeniable evolution is taking place, congressional staffers and analysts said, as members of Congress, many with increasing numbers of large and small businesses in their districts that depend on trade with China, are now far more likely to kill or water down measures opposed by Beijing.

…

“People in Congress are not stupid,” said Minxin Pei, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College. “A few years ago, China-bashing was costless. Now they will get phone calls from worried CEOs. China is creating jobs in their congressional districts.”

Hopefully, a view like this will gradually spread to Canada and other western world. (Well, in Canada, we should expect to see a much slower catching pace when our minister of immigration Jason Kenney still referring Chinese premier Wen Jiabao as “a member of the politburo” instead of addressing his title… so Cold War! — Watch Kenney’s interivew with CTV in December when he talked about Harper’s China trip: http://video.aol.ca/video-detail/latest-asia-tour-ctvs-question-period-jason-kenney-minister/2371746788)

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