A Fresh Start

摘要

Secretary of state of hillary Clinton is headed to China. The inclusion of Beijing on her first trip overseas suggests that she and the new U.S. President intend to make the People's Republic of China a keystone in the arch of America's foreign relations. Paradoxically, Clinton will be aided by the fact that President Barack Obama has never been to Beijing, has previously said relatively little about China and is thus viewed there as something of a blank slate. Although that has caused anxiety among Chinese officials, it may also be a virtue. Somehow, the "China question" managed to slumber largely undisturbed throughout the presidential election-which was probably just as well. It meant that Obama and Clinton could start thinking about China anew, without being encumbered by too many pre-existing political commitments.