China’s President Takes Message of Harmony to U.S.

[oberliner]

Source: NY Times

BEIJING — For the Obama administration, the four-day visit by President Hu Jintao of China may offer a platform to try to make progress on issues troubling their countries: currency, the trade imbalance, human rights and China’s military stance. But Mr. Hu arrives with a comparatively low-key message, intoning his favorite idea: harmony.

Over the past few years, that has become a catchword of his administration, used especially often when Mr. Hu is confronted with thorny situations that elude ready solutions, like domestic social unrest or a rising China’s impact on the outside world. In China, the term is sometimes used ironically as a verb to describe Web sites that suddenly disappear, “harmonized away,” and officially as a goal, a “harmonious society.”

That is also the goal for the difficult relations between the world’s two most powerful nations. In comments given before he left, Mr. Hu emphasized the common interests of the United States and China and “solemnly” pledged peace and cooperation.

“China and the United States have major influence in international affairs and shoulder important responsibilities in upholding world peace and promoting common development,” Mr. Hu said in a written answer to questions posed by journalists from the United States.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/world/asia/19hu.html

[JDPriestly]

1. "harmonized away"

I experienced that concept when living in one of the European countries that had a history of NAZI government. Achieving "harmony" was more important than protecting the rights of those who perhaps disagreed with the opinions of the majority. I experienced this first hand.

I sew, but the cost of fabric is higher than the cost of buying finished clothing from China. Thus, the currency is being manipulated so that the cost of Chinese labor is less to us than even our own free labor.

Same for wool and knitting. You cannot buy the materials to knit a sweater for as little as you can buy a sweater made in China.

Currency manipulation plain and simple.

We have to stop our insane trade policy. This is the most urgent national security issue facing America. Too many Americans are forgetting how to make things and do things -- other than give massages or consume.

[Name removed]

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