Former U.S. ambassador talks China’s future, impact on U.S.

Former U.S. Ambassador to China Clark Randt spoke at the Baker Center Friday about the future of China and its relationship with the United States.

Randt, who was the ambassador to China from 2001 to 2009, said China has more of an impact on the world than many people might think.

“China is on the rise; it will have an impact on everyone in this room, whether you’ve been there or not,” Randt said.

Randt said one of the biggest problems China is currently dealing with is its population size.

“China is, to tell the truth, consumed with the fact that they have 1.3 billion people,” he said. “Any small problem they have, multiplied by 1.3 billion, is a big problem. They don’t want to have more people to govern.”

Randt also discussed the issue of China’s military, which has grown in the past several years.

“China is becoming more powerful,” he said. “They are seeing double-digit military growth. But they are not going to be a threat to us. Threat has two components: capacity and intention. They have the capacity, and they are very technologically advanced with cyber warfare, and that can’t be dismissed,” he said. “But now that China is rich, they want a military that can protect their global and economic interests.”

China’s navy is one of the ways in which their military is growing, Randt said. Also aircraft carriers are one new addition that China will probably add to their arsenal.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he said. “It could be a source for good as well as bad, since China has been using their ships to help patrol the coast of Somalia for pirates,” he said.

Randt specified the economic changes that have come to China since his first visit there.

“My first visit to Beijing was in 1974,” he said. “The main streets there, you could’ve laid down in the middle of them: There were hardly any vehicles. If I tried to practice my Chinese and go up to people on the street, their eyes would widen, and they would run from me, because that wasn’t their job. They were in the middle of a cultural revolution.”

Randt said the transition has grown exponentially since his first visit to the Far East.

“Today there is a Lamborghini dealership right around the corner from the Bentley dealership,” he said. “They have become one of the biggest consumers of luxury goods in the world. To say it’s come a long way is an understatement.”

Randt said the relationship between the U.S. and China is one of the most important in the world.

“It’s not surprising that we have differences,” he said. “We are dealing with different cultures, backgrounds and even values in areas such as human rights, religious freedom and the trade deficit. These are things we can manage, at least today, because we need to cooperate.”

Randt also emphasized the importance of intercultural relations with China and spoke about the number of Chinese students studying in the U.S.

“In 1979, the U.S. gave 770 Chinese students visas to study in the U.S. Last year, it was over 77,000. We want to show that we understand and welcome Chinese students to the U.S.,” he said.

Howard Baker Jr., who travelled with Randt in Asia, said the Baker Center was fortunate to have Randt visit the university.

“Randt is my long-time friend and colleague, and he exposed me to many important things in that part of the world,” Baker said. “We are especially fortunate tonight to have him here.”