Obama Needs To Give China's Hu A Reality Check At This Week's State Visit

Two years after President Obama’s inauguration, his administration faces a significant sobriety check with this week’s visit of China’s president followed by President Obama’s State of the Union address next week.

At first glance, these two events might appear related only in terms of a coincidence of timing. In fact, both will tell us a great deal about President Obama’s leadership and his ability to adjust to new strategic realities. The administration’s decision to host a state visit for the president of the People’s Republic of China under current circumstances is interesting and risky.

It is unusual timing for China’s leader to come to Washington. A new Congress has been sworn in, but still not fully settled, and anxiously awaits the first formal signal of how the president intends to deal with them. Far and away the top priorities in the new political landscape are controlling debt, expanding employment, and reviving American competitiveness. In this context, high profile focus on China would not seem to favor either China or the Obama administration.

In fact, China’s leader comes to town with a relatively limited agenda.

President Hu Jintao is entering the twilight of his two terms in office and seeks to demonstrate to other Chinese leaders that he commands appropriate respect from the United States. This is measured primarily in terms of symbolism and avoidance of criticism.

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