11 July 2016

The New York Times: Hillary Clinton, as Seen Through a Chinese Prism

As China looks ahead to a new American administration, opinions on the front-running Mrs. Clinton veer from admiration, mostly among women and civil libertarians, to distaste, mostly among male policy makers and an often nationalistic public.

Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has his critics in China, too, but his brand of shock-populism attracts more vocal support in a society where a woman has never sat in the inner circle of power, the Standing Committee of the Communist Party’s Politburo.

Still, China’s leaders would rather see Mrs. Clinton in the White House than the “volatile” Mr. Trump, said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing and an adviser to the State Council, China’s cabinet. [...]

For Chinese policy makers, that familiarity may offer limited comfort.

Although Mrs. Clinton is seen as having pushed for stronger Chinese-United States ties at the beginning of her tenure in 2009 as President Obama’s secretary of state, and is credited in China with facilitating an annual dialogue between top Chinese and American officials, she also angered Beijing by pressing for “the pivot,” Mr. Shi said. This rebalancing of United States power toward the Asia-Pacific region, in response to China’s growing assertiveness, was seen as an effort to “contain” a rising China, and it rankled some top officials.

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