Charm offensive may win over US: scholars
Academics suggest the president should take an informal approach to establishing a rapport with the American public and Congress members
President Hu Jintao's first priority in Washington should be to establish a human relationship with his American audience by revealing more of his personality, said US academics.
After arriving yesterday, Mr Hu was meeting United States President George W. Bush this morning and then holding separate discussions with Vice-President Dick Cheney, selected members of the US Congress and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. He is also scheduled to deliver an evening speech at a Washington dinner attended by 800 business leaders and think-tank representatives.
David Lampton, Johns Hopkins University's dean of advanced international studies, said Mr Hu could expect some sharp questions from the congressmen, but his first priority should be to show a more personal side to the American public.
'From my viewpoint, all the business had been done before he came here, basically, except speaking with the president,' Professor Lampton said. 'What the trip ought to be about is human relations, improving the relations with particular members of the Congress, improving relations with the president, improving relations with the American people.'
Mr Hu will only speak to the media at a brief stand-up at the White House after the summit meeting with Mr Bush, so Professor Lampton said the Chinese leader should take advantage of the dinner to take unscripted questions from the audience.
'The most important mission is to change the views of Americans,' he said. 'Most Americans don't know too much about China, and they have no idea what sort of people are leading China: their personal lives, what their aspirations are, what their personalities are.'
Mr Hu made few public speeches and was described as an enigma the last time he was in the US, as vice-president.
Professor Lampton said that was because Mr Hu did not want to outshine former president Jiang Zemin, but he now had good reason to establish his own public image.
Harry Harding, director of research and analysis for the Eurasia Group, said he was interested to see whether Mr Hu would take a more informal approach when he met Mr Bush and spoke to the public. 'His trip here is much more an exercise of public relations than it is diplomacy,' he said.
But he said it would be difficult for Mr Hu to win over Congress members and change public opinion, partly because the US media was not particularly keen on official speeches.
Professor Harding said it would also be a challenge to impress US audiences without offending the nationalist feelings of the Chinese public.
'The problem for all leaders, maybe especially Chinese leaders, is the expectation that they have to say the same thing at home and abroad because the audiences are no longer separate,' Professor Harding said.
