The Dalai Lama

Being seen with the Dalai Lama is an easy way for McCain and Obama to demonstrate their “tough” approach to China. McCain was one up on Obama last month when he organised a photo-op with the Dalai Lama in Denver, after which he asked China to “recognise human rights” in Tibet and pressed it to engage in dialogue with the Tibetan leadership.

Not one to be outdone, Obama dashed off a letter to the Dalai Lama saying much the same things. He said, “American attention to and backing for the people of Tibet is widespread and transcends the divisions of our political contest.”

The Tibetans, however, are well aware of the significant limits to how far Washington can go in pressing China either on democracy in general, or on Tibetan autonomy in particular. After all, almost all recent US presidents sharply criticised China during the campaign, but quickly moderated their tone after the elections.

Different strokes

The few differences between McCain and Obama on China stem from their broader worldviews. Obama, representing the working class constituency, is more critical of China’s trade policies.Labour-leaning intelligentsia in the US tends to support Obama’s position on trade with China. Last month a Washington-based think-tank, the Economic Policy Institute claimed in a report that the growing US trade deficit with China cost 2.3 million American jobs between 2001 and 2007. The pressures from the left are balanced by the corporate sector which immensely values the benefits of free trade with China.

... contd.