U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) commented this week on Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the U.S. and some of the problems facing China.
"Over the past month, I have heard more than a few of my Republican colleagues and some of the candidates for president opine that President Xi’s visit should be canceled or somehow downgraded," Kirk said. "As someone who has followed U.S.-China relations for nearly 25 years, I respectfully disagree. Politically tempting, merely sticking China in the eye by canceling or downgrading a presidential visit would actually do little to elicit policy changes in Beijing and might actually create more dangerous tension. There are many serious economic and security challenges in the U.S.-China relationship that require not thoughtless bluster, but rather sincere and meaningful dialogue. As a proud defender of America’s national defense and a passionate advocate of human rights, I believe there is much in China’s recent actions that warrants pause."
Kirk said the Chinese people must be permitted to read and write openly about the issues facing them.
"Free markets and economies are based on transparency and access to information," Kirk said. "Failure to create this environment causes fragility and slower growth. However, we should resist the temptation to score some points at the expense of stronger U.S.-China relations. Instead, we should build on this important bilateral relationship, one of the most critical of the 21st century. Part of successfully negotiating with another country is understanding the vantage point from which it is approaching the situation."
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