White House preps for Hu visit as lawmakers renew push for China action

The Obama administration will unveil its vision for U.S.-China
relations ahead of President Hu Jintao’s state visit to Washington
later this month.

The administration’s renewed engagement comes
as Senate Democrats are considering another push for legislation meant
to force China to reform its trade practices.

Democrats have also urged President Obama to demand currency and
trade reforms from his Chinese counterpart during their upcoming
meetings.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said this week that he expects his
legislation, designed to pressure China to increase the value of its
currency, to pass with bipartisan support in the 112th Congress.

“It’s one of the things that’s seriously on the table,” Schumer told
Reuters on Thursday. “I’d like to see (Obama) either support our
legislation or get China to do it on its own.”

Schumer had promised a vote on his legislation before
May, but after pressure from the White House it didn’t come to the floor.

Members of the new Republican House majority have also indicated an
intention to take up legislation addressing Chinese trade practices,
according to Reuters.

Lawmakers and business groups contend China keeps the value of its
currency artificially low in order to reduce the cost of its exports to
the United States and other countries, a practice critics say threatens American
jobs.

The administration’s push for engagement with China as opposed to
confrontation over its trade policies could be politically risky. China
was a popular bogeyman for Democrats during the midterm elections. The
country was portrayed as a poacher of American jobs, and supporters of
trade with China were accused of favoring growth of a foreign economy.

The
agenda for the Jan. 19 meeting between the two leaders will be
previewed in several upcoming speeches by top administration officials.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke
and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner next week are expected to
outline the administration’s stance toward the world’s second largest
economy.

Those remarks will follow trips from several prominent administration officials to China.

Defense
Secretary Robert Gates traveled there this weekend for talks with his
Chinese counterparts. His visit comes as tensions in the region are running high, after North Korea shelled a South Korean fishing
village in November.

Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell will travel to Beijing
on Sunday for meetings with senior Chinese officials, according to the
State Department.