bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Jasper Becker

Eight weeks into his tour, the new United States Ambassador to China, Admiral Joseph Prueher, had his first baptism of fire last week when he was summoned to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and given a stern warning.

 China was furious about an overwhelming vote by the US House of Representatives to strengthen support for Taiwan's military.

  First impressions suggest that Admiral Prueher, a tall, fit-looking man, is setting out to be more visible than his predecessor, James Sasser, who generally avoided the press.

   Speaking to the American Chamber of Commerce last week, Admiral Prueher explained that he had been doing his best to get to grips with his new job by doing the rounds of his consulates, meeting Chinese leaders and discussing issues with as many officials and experts as possible.

  'I am convinced the leadership of the People's Republic wants a good relationship with the United States but in some ways they do not know how to do it,' he said.

  He also came away with the realisation that getting to the bottom of things in China, such as how many people there are, was not easy. The best figure he could come up with put the population at between 1.25 billion and 1.3 billion.

  Like many starting in China, Admiral Prueher was astonished by the 'immense challenges' facing the nation - a population growing by 12 million a year and the demands of 50 million new job seekers. He expressed sympathy for the idea that the Government felt the most important right was to guarantee food and shelter for this huge population.

  He also embraced the Government's favourite slogan, that it has to cross the river by feeling the rocks, although this actually means the leadership is not bound by any fixed programme.

  Admiral Prueher compared China to North Korea, where he said that in order to help it and put something in its hand, the North Korean Government had first to open its fist and relax its tight control.

  'The [Chinese] Government probably would like to release that grip some, but the rate and extent to do it is quite a challenge to figure out,' he said.

  He said he believed that the US could help China in its three major tasks of establishing the rule of law, freeing up a planned economy and opening up a closed society.

  'The challenge for the US Government is how to encourage and impact this change in a way that is beneficial to making China a sustainable, successful nation,' he said.

  A successful nation, he said, was one with open markets, a free flow of information and the adherence to democratic principles including free elections and respect for human rights.

  China needed to feel the comprehensive security of being a state with stable borders with a leadership that enjoyed the confidence of the people so it would not be 'clinging to power all the time'.

  China was also grappling with technological change that was moving ahead so quickly it was far outpacing institutional change.

   He said China's accession to the World Trade Organisation would promote economic reform and help establish the rule of law.

Earlier, Admiral Prueher said he had resisted suggestions during his Senate confirmation hearings that he raise human rights in every meeting. Instead he would pursue the issue 'sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly - but steadfastly'.

  Beijing is certain to protest loudly when the US backs a resolution critical of China's record at the annual session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.

  Last week, Admiral Prueher said he hoped for a broader dialogue which did not focus on individual cases such as the release of US-based academic Song Yongyi, who was detained for five months on suspicion of gathering state secrets.

  'It is important that our human rights discussions with China not be a series of spikes but rather a broader debate where we get more philosophically in tune,' he said.



Washington envoy hits first bump on road to smooth relationship with mainland