Welcome to "Mei Hua Connection" Newsletter 2009!

Da jia hao and hello! As the editor of “Mei-Hua” Connection, I am proud to present this first issue of our newsletter, and invite you to explore the US-China relationship from the varied perspectives of the 2009 US-China Bilateral Trade Internship Program participants. I myself am currently a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, studying Mandarin Chinese and International Business. Thus far, this experience has been truly eye-opening and has allowed me to see China and the United States in a different light. I only hope that this newsletter will provide you with the same opportunity.

This newsletter will not only express the individual opinions and observations of both the American program participant (Mei) and the Chinese program participants (Hua), but will also analyze the social, cultural, political and economic dimensions of the US-China relationship in the hopes of developing and sustaining a lasting connection between these two countries.

With a new administration and an ever changing global environment, the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and China is facing rising opportunities and challenges. One such challenge is global cooperation on climate change, which is further reviewed by fellow Boeing colleague, Xingyan Gou in her article, “A Greener U.S.-China Relationship.” Another key issue addressed is the growing strategic importance of Asia, which can be seen in Jennifer Le's article regarding Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's first visit abroad. Exploring international security issues, Jonathan Shyu presents John McCain's views on the necessity of China's continued support for U.S. global initiatives.

Please enjoy the collaborative efforts put forth by the Boeing program participants.

Sincerely,

Heather Zauner, Editor
Washington University, St. Louis

Newsletter Articles:

A Greener U.S.-China Relationship

Thu, 03/12/2009 - 3:00am — Andrey Gidaspov

By Carolyn Gou, Tsinghua University

Environmental issues have historically been viewed as separate from politics and economy, yet a sustainable strategy of development calls for more integration. It is no longer a grassroots movement: along with the pragmatic approaches, such as carbon trade and technology transfer, there is more and more political involvement. With Obama’s emphasis on global cooperation for climate change, environmental issues are playing a vital role in the US-China Bilateral relationship. Besides the growing public awareness of sustainable development, policymakers are taking into consideration the importance of environmental issues in international relations.

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548 reads

Spotlight on Secretary of State Clinton’s First Trip Abroad at Brookings Institute

Thu, 03/12/2009 - 3:00am — Jennifer Le

By Jennifer Le

One of the most highly anticipated events during the beginning of February was Hillary Clinton's first trip abroad as Secretary of State on February 15th, 2009. Breaking the norm established by former Secretary of State's, Clinton chose to visit Asia first, reiterating Asia as a key player in global affairs. On February 12th, the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies and the John L. China Center hosted a discussion on the upcoming Secretary of State's first trip abroad at the Brookings Institute.

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570 reads

John McCain: China Can Help U.S. Efforts in Afghanistan

Thu, 03/12/2009 - 1:00pm — Jonathan Shyu

Several Washington Center interns went to a John McCain speech concerning the War in Afghanistan at the American Enterprise Institute on Wednesday, February 25th, 2009.

McCain made the case that Afghanistan should be our top national priority. He started out the half hour long speech with many statistics proving that the U.S. effort in Afghanistan had been working, but unfortunately the last administration turned to a wrong strategy after 2005. He emphasized the fact that the U.S. has been going down the wrong path since 2005, and the situation is deteriorating further.