Building a New Model of Major-Country Relationship – An Interview with Orville Schell

Reporter: When Chinese President Xi Jinping paid state visits to countries in Latin America aimed at deepening economic connections, certain foreign media commented that China was intruding into the U.S.’s backyard and trying to compete with it for the Latin American market. Do you think this is a valid opinion?

Orville Schell: Whether the U.S. Treasury Department or the White House, if they truly have faith in the market economy they will not blatantly oppose China’s entry into the Latin American market. In the era of globalization, China and the U.S. are closely economically bonded. The U.S. is not in a position to obstruct China’s economic development.

Reporter: In September, China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba was formally listed on the New York Stock Exchange, creating a new wealth legend. Do you think this might become the turning point at which entrepreneurs of the two countries draw closer?

Orville Schell: I’ve known Ma Yun for some time, and Alibaba, the company he founded, is great. There is no way of telling whether Ma Yun or American entrepreneurs like Bill Gates are the most brilliant, because they are remarkable in similar ways.

I think Chinese private entrepreneurs are particularly creative. For Americans, Alibaba’s listing provides them with the chance to know more about Chinese Internet firms, and also stimulates their interest in and respect for Chinese entrepreneurs like Ma Yun.

Big Room for Improvement

Reporter: What do ordinary Americans think about China’s reform?

Orville Schell: Ordinary Americans actually seem more anxious now than previously, due to China’s rise. They know little about China’s current reform and opening-up, and have a generally narrow view of the country. As China’s economic aggregate swells, the number of believers in the China threat theory among ordinary Americans also grows.

Reporter: How do American politicians view China’s new round of reforms?

Orville Schell: As regards the political arena, I think Obama is willing to accept China’s economic rise, but many voices emanate also from the opposing forces – the Republican Party and the Tea Party. However, they don’t represent the Obama administration.

Many Democratic senators are making efforts to establish a new-type partnership with China. But this will not be easy in light of today’s relatively cool bilateral diplomatic relations, and the need to improve them.

Reporter: Who do you think should be held accountable for the cooling bilateral relations?

Orville Schell: I think both sides should take blame. Certain Democratic Senators hold that China showed a tepid response to the proposal to “join hands with the U.S.,” and that so far not many Chinese firms operate in the U.S. market. As yet no force has arisen either in the U.S. White House or Congress with the intent of gaining deep knowledge of China. Due to different political system and values, misunderstandings and distrust still exist between the two countries.

Two Great Powers Vital for Global Issues

Reporter: You have personally experienced momentous historic events like Deng Xiaoping’s visit to the U.S. and Bill Clinton’s visit to China. What has most impressed you?

Orville Schell: What I remember from 1979 as most significant in the history of bilateral exchanges was Deng Xiaoping putting on a cowboy hat while watching a rodeo performance in Texas.

You must know that Texas is eminently anti-communist. But Deng’s donning of the ten-gallon hat won him approbation from tens of thousands of Americans. Deng was a wise man. He purposefully sent this strong symbolic signal to the peoples of both countries, so implying that China and the U.S. could indeed establish a friendly relationship.