Dialogue with Shen Dingli

• Source: Global Times
• [17:25 November 11 2009]
• Comments

Shen Dingli, director of the Center for American Studies and Executive Vice-President of Institute of International Studies at Fudan University

Global Times: Compared with his predecessors, Barack Obama is the first US president to visit China in the first year of his term. And high-level officials from both sides have interacted frequently in this year. Do you think it means that the US’ policy on China has changed? Or it’s Obama’s expedient measures due to the financial crisis?

Shen: Don’t expect the US policy on China will have any fundamental changes. I think the US’ adjustment of its policy on China is an expedient measure. Basically, the US still deems socialist China as a strategic rival, so the US’ current policy on China is just a tactical and gradual adjustment. For example, the US still adopts the policy to sell weapons to Taiwan.

Obama mentioned Communism in his inaugural address and is the first US president who mentioned this topic. It shows that US has strong ideology resentment towards China. We have a different ideology in China which creates contradictions in our two countries’ ideals.