Hostile Press Conference Atmosphere, Hoop Brawl Mar US-China "Goodwill" Week

Two events this week in China involving high-profile American visitors raise disturbing questions about the government and public mood in the Middle Kingdom.

First, the Financial Times reported that Vice President Joe Biden, in China on a diplomatic mission, had his message of the two nations' "mutual cooperation" drowned out by uptight Chinese security agents and foreign ministry flaks. The situation deteriorated to the point where the Chinese hosts pushed White House aides and journalists in an effort to hustle them out of the press conference room.

Second, a "goodwill" basketball game between Georgetown University and a Chinese roster filled with soldiers became a wild melee. Things got so hot that Georgetown coach John Thompson III pulled his players, staff, and fans and got them on the bus pronto. The story appears in today's Washington Post. Unsurprisingly, this story, initially reported by some Chinese websites, was censored by the state security apparatus.

These two exhibits of crude, hostile behavior, seem symptomatic of something deeper, and very troubling about life and times in the People's Republic of China. (Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins' article on this connection discusses this point.) Meanwhile, in appraisals of China's rise to world prominence, one doesn't get a sense of exhilaration or hope. Most, especially China's Asian neighbors, are rightfully wary of Beijing's ambitions. What does China bring to the world community that would benefit other nations? I haven't heard of anything positive. Rather, one gets a sense of Orwellian censorship, systemic corruption, ghastly environmental degradation, state-encouraged piracy of intellectual property, belligerent militarism, repellent xenophobia, and unapologetic racism. It's a shame. At its best, China demonstrates resiliency and pride, with its extraordinary post-Mao economic progress and enterprise being Exhibit A. The country's rich cultural legacy remains a source of great pride and distinction. However, those positive qualities alone can hardly enable China to carry the world's leadership role on its shoulders.

China has a long, long way to go before the global community can accept any sort of leadership role from Beijing. Like it or not, the world still needs the United States and its sense of unfettered freedom and self-defined opportunity.

The photograph shows Biden and his daughter Ashley after their arrival at Beijing's airport.