Getting to Know You: The Obama Administration and China
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Human rights and currency manipulation were on the back burner for Hillary Clinton’s visit to China. The Secretary of State emphasized economics and global warming. We ask how the substance and her style of diplomacy will go down in Beijing and in Washington. Also, President Obama discusses the stimulus package with the governors, and Slumdog Millionaire, a film about India that no Indian could have directed.
Banner image: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in Beijing. Photo: Oliver Weiken-Pool/Getty Images
Making News
Obama Discusses Stimulus Money with the Governors ()
President Obama told the nation's governors today that $15 billion in stimulus money will reach the states on Wednesday to help with Medicaid payments to the poor. Some Republican Governors are saying they won't accept another part of the package, expansion of unemployment benefits for part-time workers and others who have not been eligible before. Philip Rucker is national political reporter for the Washington Post.
Guests:
- Philip Rucker: Reporter, Washington Post
Links:
Main Topic
Secretary of State Clinton Makes Her First Trip to China ()
Hillary Clinton's first trip as Secretary of State took her to China, where the government is comfortable with Republicans. Instead of making demands about human rights and currency manipulation, she urged Beijing to continue buying American bonds. Worries about the world economy shared the agenda with global warming, energy and national security, including North Korea's nuclear weapons. Clinton told the Chinese, “We are truly going to rise and fall together.” We get several assessments of her visit and what lies ahead.
Guests:
- Barbara Demick: Beijing Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times, @BarbaraDemick
- Minxin Pei: Senior Associate of the China Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Nina Hachigian: Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
- Sharon Hom: Executive Director, Human Rights in China
- Mike Chinoy: Senior Fellow, Pacific Council on International Policy, @mikechinoy
Links:
- Los Angeles Times' article on Clinton urging China to sustain US economic support
- Demick's article on Clinton-China agreement to put human rights issues on separate track
- Pei's 'China's Trapped Transition: The Limits of Developmental Autocracy'
- Hachigian's 'The Next American Century: How the US Can Thrive as Other Powers Rise'
- Joint letter to Secretary Clinton on making human rights a priority on China trip
Reporter's Notebook
'Slumdog Millionaire' Wins Big at Oscars ()
Traffic in Hollywood was stalled during this morning's rush hour as the sets were being deconstructed at the Kodak Theater. The Nielson ratings for last night's Oscars were 6% better than last year's. But the big news for Hollywood could be the arrival of Bollywood. Slumdog Millionaire scored eight Oscars last night, including Best Picture and Best Director, as well as Best Score and Best Song for composer A.R. Rahman. Management consultant and entertainment commentator Gunjan Bagla calls it a great acknowledgement of Indian culture.
Guests:
- Gunjan Bagla: Managing Director, Amritt
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