
Hu JinĀtao, PresĀiĀdent of the Peopleās RepubĀlic of China
Hu JinĀtao, PresĀiĀdent of the Peopleās RepubĀlic of ChiĀna just wrapped up a visĀit to the U.S. on April 21, 2006. I love the peoĀple of ChiĀna and respect them for their ingeĀnuĀity and talents.
PresĀiĀdent Huās visĀit remindĀed me of my ChiĀnese friend and roomĀmate of sevĀerĀal years ago, James Song, with whom I had the opporĀtuĀniĀty to celĀeĀbrate a ChiĀnese new year.
James lived and worked in the US as a softĀware engiĀneer and was very wise and fruĀgal in his living.
This visĀit to AmerĀiĀca by PresĀiĀdent Hu was said to be good and bad for AmerĀiĀca. Good because he stopped by and had high-levĀel meetĀings with Bill Gates of Microsoft and met with offiĀcials at BoeĀing, Americaās aeroĀnauĀtics giant. In both instances, the ChiĀnese leader sigĀnaled plans to pump tons of the ChiĀnese Yuan into the U.S. econĀoĀmy as a result of trade negoĀtiĀaĀtions and agreeĀments with BoeĀing and Microsoft respectively.
Also, it is reportĀed, Hu plans to help crackĀdown and fight to proĀtect intelĀlecĀtuĀal propĀerĀty rights in ChiĀna when he goes back home.
In D.C., it was not so good, accordĀing to anaĀlysts for CNN and FOX news. PresĀiĀdent George W. Bush, news reports say, was not tough enough to press for betĀter human rights in ChiĀna. The issue of TaiĀwan and Tibet were left hangĀing in the balĀance, weāre told. HU made no promisĀes on fairĀer trade with the US, and ChiĀna is still the odd couĀple in the war on terĀror and nuclear weapons, espeĀcialĀly on Iran.
Not so good because, it is reportĀed, a jourĀnalĀist with U.S. press creĀdenĀtials, yelled at the ChiĀnese visĀiĀtor at a White House meetĀing and caused PresĀiĀdent Bush to apolĀoĀgize to his ChiĀnese counterpart.
Now it is reportĀed that Hu is on his way to Africa, with plans to visĀit NigeĀria, Kenya, and Morocco.
Is a visĀit to Africa by a ChiĀnese presĀiĀdent good or bad for the conĀtiĀnent? I am bound to ask the same quesĀtions I asked before and how Huās travĀel to Africa will benĀeĀfit the continent.
What will Africa gain from a visĀit to NigeĀria, Kenya, and MorocĀco by the worldās numĀber one comĀmuĀnist nation? Will it be trade, oil, and infraĀstrucĀture, the spread of a comĀmuĀnist ideĀolĀoĀgy or to pit ChiĀna against AmerĀiĀca in Africa?
Will Africans learn anyĀthing from Chinaās sudĀden rise as a potenĀtial super-powĀer? Will the conĀtiĀnent learn anyĀthing about trade with the rest of the world? Will NigeĀria be sellĀing more oil to ChiĀna or to the USA or will the interĀnaĀtionĀal marĀket price decide who gets more oil? Will it be fair-trade and fair-game to Africa? Does ChiĀna supĀport any form of demoĀcĀraĀtĀic govĀerĀnance and human rights in Africa? Does ChiĀna show supĀport for the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa?
And to be fair to both ChiĀna and AmerĀiĀca is AmerĀiĀca only interĀestĀed in oil in Africa for so-called geopoĀlitĀiĀcal and strateĀgic reaĀsons or does Africa deserve to be Africa and treatĀed fairĀly and squareĀly on these matters.
Does anyĀone realĀly care that Africa can be a self-sufĀfiĀcient conĀtiĀnent and respectĀed for its cusĀtoms and values?