May 15, 2008
U.S. China Relations in the Era of Globalization
"I think, if you ask many people outside of the United States — and, indeed, historians, maybe, 10 or 15 years from now — what is the key feature of global politics, it might be a surprise. For most Americans, certainly those of us who work in Washington, we'd say, 'Well, look, it's the war on terror and Iraq. Clearly, that's the issue that weʹve got our eye on.' I think a powerful argument could be made, if you go elsewhere, that they would say that the key feature in global politics over the last decade has been the arrival of China on the international scene as a great player and a great power. And I think that the essential components of that are obviously China's economic capabilities, its growing commercial might, its political muscle, its soft power, as weʹve discussed."