美国国家公共电台 NPR U.S. Envoy: China Will Be 'More And More In Our Future'

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U.S. Envoy¹: China Will Be 'More And More In Our Future'

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Over the past week, U.S. and Chinese warships³ have held maneuvers⁴ in the South China Sea, and the Philippines, a U.S. ally, has repositioned itself closer to China. Washington's man in Beijing at this delicate time is the former Democratic Senator from Montana Max Baucus. He sat down yesterday to talk with our man in Beijing, NPR's Anthony Kuhn.

ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE⁵: On a visit here last week, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte proclaimed that his country is separating from the U.S. and shelving its maritime⁶ disputes with China. Some commentators⁷ saw it as a setback⁸ to the U.S.'s strategic position in Asia. Ambassador Baucus though, sees a silver lining⁹, at least in the short term.

MAX BAUCUS: Duterte and the Philippines, by making overtures¹⁰ to China, has actually in a strange way helped cool things off here because China is trying to figure out who is this guy, what's he all about?

KUHN: Washington and Tokyo appear just as perplexed¹¹. But in the long-term, Baucus says, the Philippines plays a minor¹² role in the South China Sea dispute, which is mainly between the U.S. and China.

BAUCUS: My major advice to the Chinese for the last year is cool it, OK. Don't be too disruptive here. Don't do something nutty.

KUHN: Something like building on and fortifying¹³ Scarborough Shoal, a strategic sandbank claimed by the Philippines and China. He says the Chinese appear to have listened, for now. Baucus's advice to the U.S. government, meanwhile, is this.

BAUCUS: We've got to stand up for ourselves. That is, draw some lines, make it clear that after a while we're not going to get bullied¹⁴ or pushed around because I think there's some in China who are tempted¹⁵ to try to push the United States around. They want to bully¹⁶ us.

KUHN: Baucus says the U.S. also needs to take the lead in building rules and institutions in Asia. He cites the trade pact¹⁷, the Trans-Pacific Partnership¹⁸, as an example.

BAUCUS: And if we don't pass it, then the alternative is China basically fill in the void.

KUHN: The TPP faces stiff opposition¹⁹ in Congress and from both presidential candidates. But Ambassador Baucus says Americans need to think more deeply and creatively about China if they want to avoid conflict with it.

BAUCUS: I really think it's extremely important for Americans to better understand China. And by better, I mean don't just read their lines. You've got to dig down to find out what's going on, and come over, see China.

KUHN: As of last week, Baucus became the first U.S. ambassador to China to visit all of its provinces, taking in the country's vast diversity.

BAUCUS: It's almost impossible to describe. It's a mosaic²¹. It's a kaleidoscope.

KUHN: Baucus is most enthusiastic about China's people, who he describes as optimistic and pragmatic. But he says he has to prod²² Chinese officials a bit to get off their talking points, which he says can be as monotonous²³ as a Senate filibuster²⁴.

BAUCUS: I'm kind of pushing the envelope a little bit here by being very candid²⁰ and very direct, but in a respectful way. And I think it makes a difference.

KUHN: You seem to be having some success in getting them to actually go off script. Is that right?

BAUCUS: They do go off script, but they've memorized the script so much that they know what they're going to say anyway, but they do engage.

KUHN: Whether or not Baucus will stay on and continue to engage with China's government and people will be up to President Obama's successor. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Beijing.