Obama in China

In the 37 years since Richard Nixon made his groundbreaking trip, many presidents have visited China. Because of U.S. economic troubles, however, the one just concluded by President Barack Obama seemed to have a different feel.

China's willingness to lend is a major factor in the Obama administration's plan for U.S. recovery. In addition, the United States has a lopsided trade imbalance with China, and American consumers have come to count on inexpensive Chinese products. That's hardly the backdrop for tough talk on human rights or for an American president to prod the Chinese to defuse a dangerous Iran.

The United States, it seems, no longer holds the upper hand in the relationship. In truth, neither nation holds that advantage. China is the world's largest holder of U.S. Treasuries, but that also means its economic fortunes are intertwined with our own.

Still, that does not mean the president should show signs of weakness. We were troubled by Obama's agreement to a joint news conference with President Hu Jintao where no questions were allowed. His decision not to meet with the Dalai Lama during the trip, unlike what his most recent predecessors had done, also signaled a willingness to forgo important matters in deference to the feelings of his hosts. The one area in which progress was made, global warming, was arguably the least important matter for the two nations.

To be fair, it is difficult to judge how successful Obama's trip was. The most important meeting between the two leaders took place for 2 1/2 hours in private. Some sources said Obama was blunt and tough when discussing human-rights issues during this meeting. In any event, the meeting most likely served the same purpose as similar encounters between new presidents and world leaders — it established the basis for a relationship that could be important when crises arise.

Clearly, the best approach to China involves a spirit of cooperation and friendship. That was always the case in the past, as well. It is why the President George H.W. Bush insisted on maintaining China's most-favored-nation trade status, despite the atrocities at Tiananmen Square in 1989, and why President Bill Clinton succeeded in making that status permanent during his second term. China is simply too large and too important to its region to treat any other way, and the spirit of engagement has led to many cultural exchanges and personal relationships that are important for world peace.

The future will tell whether this visit was a success. But while the United States and China have become mutually dependent, the United States can never afford to confuse the spirit of cooperation with capitulation on matters of importance to all people in both nations.