Generally speaking, I’m inclined to believe that much of the rest of the world, China included, is happy to see Obama as the president-elect. After all, Obama seems to have a very liberal stance on international politics; he recognizes that perhaps the most significant effect of the occupation of Iraq is the loss of the trust of other nations. His proposals include increased international dialogue, even if it means having diplomatic relations with countries like Iran. In this sense, Obama looks to reverse the worldwide perception of an arrogant America.
From what I’ve seen, China seems to have an odd cultural relationship with the US. On one hand, US manufactured goods are popular (I guess even the Chinese realize that their pirated goods don’t quite have the quality of authentic products), but on the other hand, the Chinese seem to see the United States as a largely decadent society. Just look at the Chinese textbooks from Beijing – whenever there’s a problem, whether a kid has grown morbidly obese or if someone has gone on a shooting spree, it’s the fault of “Western influence.” Even ask the Chinese teachers here what their perception of the US was prior to coming here.
Having said that, in terms of policy, it will be interesting to see what policies Obama takes towards China. We can’t forget that in the face of the growing American perception of China as a threat to be countered or contained, the Bush administration actually managed to develop good relations with China, making progress through events such as the Strategic Economic Dialogue in 2006. We have yet to see whether Obama will continue such dialogue.
On an end note, professor, has it ever struck you to tell your students about this blog or your book? These seem like things that students would like to know about their favorite Asian Studies professor.

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