From the Washington Post (link)
When President Bush sits down with Chinese President Hu Jintao this morning in the Oval Office, some of the biggest foreign policy challenges facing the United States will be on the table, including the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea.
Increasingly, administration officials believe, the key to these issues and other overseas problems may lie in Beijing, a reflection of the pivotal position China has come to play on the international stage.
China, consumed with domestic problems at home and eager for stability overseas, has long resisted playing a leading role in foreign policy. But, especially in the past year, the Bush administration has pressed China to shed its traditional neutrality and take a more aggressive stance against governments that U.S. officials believe could potentially threaten U.S. interests and, more broadly, the international system.
Also see “Hu tells state’s elite that cooperation can improve US-China relations” in the Seattle Times by Kristi Heim (link)
Wrapping up his two-day visit to Seattle today, Chinese President Hu Jintao gave a sweeping policy address that contained no surprises., But Hu laid out firm positions on issues from currency to energy, emphasizing “win-win outcomes” in spite of trade frictions.
