It is said that before US President George W. Bush visited China,
the White House decided on an "ABC (Anything But Clinton)"
strategy: Do nothing that former President Clinton did; say nothing
that Clinton said during his Beijing visit in 1998. Therefore,
unlike Clinton, Bush chose
Tsinghua
University, a university with the same academic power and
reputation as
Peking
University, to make his debut before the public.
This is the third time for the US sitting president to give a
speech at a university campus during a China visit since the
establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United
States in 1972. Even before Bush's Tsinghua trip and Clinton's
speech at Peking University in 1998, as early as in 1984, President
Reagan had started up the "communication between the US president
and the Chinese youth" at Fudan
University in Shanghai.
All of these activities cannot be regarded as boring modern
diplomatic tricks or simply as "preaching given by the biggest
American missionary." In any case, such distinctive countries as
China and the United States do need all kinds of communications to
"end scores of years' estrangement and dispel hundreds of years'
mutual distrust." In this respect, no matter whether it is in the
American or Chinese people's eyes, a speech on campus is entrusted
with special tasks.
Before the young students who represent China's future, these US
presidents might feel a totally different atmosphere from what they
have experienced during the negotiations between the two states.
Meanwhile, the Chinese students could have the opportunity to face
the superpower's leaders, listen to their lectures, revise their
preconceived ideas, and express their own opinions.
"He (President Bush) is different from what we have learned before
through the media," said a Tsinghua student at the auditorium.
Such face-to-face communications make the concept of "seeking
common ground while reserving differences" -- as China has always
advocated -- more explicit and realistic. At least on these
occasions, we can know clearly what the common ground is and what
the differences between the two nations are.
As
President Bush pointed out in his opening remarks, the founding of
Tsinghua University is somewhat related to the United States.
Arthur H. Smith was an American preacher engaged in missionary
work, medical care, charities and education in the poorest areas of
Tianjin and Shandong Province for more than 30 years. After
returning home to seek donations in 1906, Smith lobbied hard in the
Congress for his suggestion that US should invest the indemnity of
more than US$20 million by the Chinese Qing
government in the year of Gengzi (1900) in "undertakings benefiting
China, and it is of special importance to use the money to
subsidize Chinese students who are studying in the United States."
Then US President Theodore Roosevelt agreed with the proposal,
which was later approved by the US Congress. The founding of
Tsinghua Xuetang (the predecessor of Tsinghua University) was based
in part on the reimbursement by the US government mainly due to
Smith's endeavors.
On
February 22, in his welcoming speech Wang Dazhong, president of
Tsinghua University, reiterated Tsinghua's motto of
"Self-discipline and Social Commitment." Before seating himself
beside the rostrum to listen with the students, Chinese Vice
President Hu Jintao welcomed Bush once again in the capacity of a
Tsinghua alumnus. Then, President Bush began to exercise his
mission to expound American opinions in plain and clear
English.
By
giving a lecture at Tsinghua, Bush expected to have a dialogue with
China's "future or potential leaders" to establish the relationship
of confidence, commented Professor Li Guangxi, director of the
Center for International Communication Studies at Tsinghua
University.
Coincidently, four years ago in his speech President Clinton
described the students of Peking University as "the leaders of the
next generation in China."
Obviously, Tsinghua students were not President Bush's only
audience, as Professor Yan Xuetong, director of the Institute of
International Studies at Tsinghua University pointed out:
"At the press conference, addressing the Chinese government as well
as the world, Bush made a statement of his position in terms of the
US policies. Nevertheless, his speech at Tsinghua was delivered to
the Chinese people. Naturally he would vigorously propagate the
American values on this occasion."
However, in the way of expounding American values, Bush was
different from both Reagan and Clinton.
At
Fudan University, Reagan cited the well-known saying from the
Declaration of Independence of the United States: "We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness."
Clinton also referred to the Declaration of Independence and the
Constitution of the United States many times at Peking University
to give weight to his speech on "freedom, democracy and
equality."
In
Bush's remarks, along with the Statue of Liberty and the separation
of powers (the legislative, executive and judicial powers) also
mentioned to explain American values were the long-standing Chinese
tradition of tolerance and words of the late Chinese leader Deng
Xiaoping. In this way, apparently Bush intended to give this
message: Liberty and democracy are universal values and not "soft
commodities" exported by the United States.
Similarly, Bush's appreciation for the "noble traditions of family,
scholarship and honor" as well as the "ancient ethic of personal
and family responsibility" in China is not irrelevant. His aim was
to try to trace an analogy between the Chinese and American
traditions. Bush said, just as in China, "American moms and dads
love their children and work hard and sacrifice for themAnd many
Americans voluntarily devote part of their lives to serving other
people." This means, like liberty and democracy, these Chinese
noble traditions are universally applicable values as well and have
been adopted by the American people.
In
his remarks Bush expressed a very high opinion of the tremendous
changes and development that have occurred in China. On the
afternoon of the same day he gave his lecture at Tsinghua
University, President Bush climbed the Great Wall and sighed with
wonder at China's amazing changes: "The Great Wall is still the
same, but today's China is vastly different from the past."
Bush believes that the reform in China will be continued.
Twenty-five years' reform has changed China so much, and the same
line will be followed in the future. Bush mentioned the Olympic
Games that will be hosted by Beijing in 2008 several times in his
speech. In his opinion, China's further reform surely hinges on the
next six years to come.
"President Bush's judgment is in line with the actual conditions.
Accompanying China's further development, the legal system and
democracy will be enhanced and perfected," said Professor Yan
Xuetong. "Both Bush's remarks at the press conference and in his
Tsinghua speech make it clear that the United States must be
prepared to deal with China in the long run, longer than Bush
Administration will last."
The Chinese government did not reject the US's request for a live
broadcast of Bush's speech. Through interpreters and live
broadcast, Bush's lecture in which "no single word is hostile to
China, but profound implications are hidden behind" was directly
delivered to millions of Chinese viewers. Nonetheless, China's
reform and opening-up blazed a trail conforming to reality in
China, and the policies have made achievements capturing world
attention -- thus offering the Chinese government much ground for
self-confidence. We are inclined to listen to and understand
American values, but in terms of China's future, we have our own
comprehension and distinctive way of development.
Similarly, we saw positive reactions from the US side: Before
Bush's visit, the media in America adopted a new matter-of-fact
tone in their overall coverage of China, which has been described
by Professor Li Xiguang as "decomposing demonizing China." Even the
Washington Post reported the Tsinghua students in a friendly
way.
As
sensible communication instead of unilateral export, Bush's speech
at Tsinghua University not only gave him a chance to present
himself to China, but also provided the opportunity for the Chinese
government and Tsinghua students to reveal themselves to the United
States as well as the world.
Unlike students from Peking University who questioned Clinton
bluntly four years ago, Tsinghua students displayed their tradition
of modesty and plainness when putting questions to President Bush
at the auditorium. "To be a little bit more sensible, tolerant and
responsible is what we need in terms of improving both ourselves
and society," said a Tsinghua student.
"Our students were excellent," said Professor Li Xiguang. "Assuming
an attitude that was level, friendly, neither overbearing nor
servile, they conversed with President Bush bilingually." By using
proficient English to communicate with President Bush directly
without an interpreter, the Tsinghua students presented a new image
of the contemporary Chinese university students with high
abilities, and represented the tremendous devotion to learning a
foreign language expressed by the new generation of citizens of
China.
Despite Bush's disappointingly evasive statement on the Taiwan
issue, the intentions of frank communication, learning from each
other, self-respect and self-confidence, seeking common ground
while reserving differences, and focusing on the future expressed
by both sides through Bush's speech and China's live broadcast are
exciting and encouraging.
Consequently, this might be an important historical juncture.
(南方周末
[The South Weekend] by Li Wenkai and Xiao Xinxin, translated by
Shao Da for china.org.cn, March 28, 2002)