Beijing (AP) – Her words came only an hour from each other this week – two main speeches by two most powerful leaders in the world, which were held on the opposite pages of the planet. Together they illustrate the very different approaches that pursue the powers of the world of the 21st century from the 21st century in order to achieve their respective national ambitions.
For China, it was a request to overcome obstacles through innovation and “opening”-a time-honored expression in the Chinese politics-in order to finally carry out national rejuvenation. It came from the Chinese premier Li Qiang in Beijing, when he provided the National People’s Congress an annual work report, almost 3,000 representatives of a nation of 1.4 billion people.
Seven thousand miles away and an hour later, at 9:00 p.m. in Washington, President Donald Trump said both chambers of the US congress, more than 500 legislators who represented a nation of 340 million people when he swore to raise tariffs for real estate and to defeat inflation “again” – one equally resonant phrase for many in the United States.
The speeches were an ocean apart from the surrounding area to the speech style. But they struck a similar tone – the desire for size at a moment when the reigning superpower and its biggest challenger are increasingly inconsistent.
The paths that their managers choose become both countries – and also the rest of the world in the world.
Shared democracy against authoritarian unity
Li’s speech was a set piece that was held to a devoted audience. For 55 minutes he read a compressed version of a mostly dehydrated and praising report on the performance of the government last year and his plans for 2025.
He spoke of the stage of a great, theater -like chamber in the gigantic hall of the people, a monumental building on the renowned place in Beijing. China’s top leader, XI Jinping, was sitting on the podium. The thousands of delegates who were in front of them politely applauded the corresponding intersections.
Trump’s speech, which clocked about an hour and 40 minutes, took place in the White Capitol at the eastern end of the national shopping center with national monuments. With his vice president and the Republican house spokesman behind him, Trump gave a shared congress a longer, more theatrical speech that reflected a divided nation.
The Republicans sometimes clapped and cheered robustly. The Democrats sat mainly in rocky silence and occasionally called out in protest. One, Rep. Al Green from Texas, was thrown out of the chamber early after getting up and interrupted the president.
Such non -written moments – and the high emotions that are evident behind it are infrequent in China. It is a one -party state and the Communist Party of Brook is not a contradiction in public. It strives to present a facade of the unit. In his comments, Li unit praised and asked the country to “gather” the leadership of XIS.
In Washington Trump complained: “There is absolutely nothing that I can say to” make Democrats joyful or to get it, to stand, smile or load them “and his democratic predecessor Joe Biden,” the worst president in American history “.
Customs vs. globalization
Trump was confident about the economy, in the cheerleadingart of American politicians who pumped support for their politics. He promised steps – including the reduction in energy costs – to defeat inflation, a pain point for many Americans. And he promised to set more tariffs for imports, a step of which he claimed that he would promote the US industry, but threatens to disturb the global trade order and cause pain and its export-dependent economy.
“Plants open everywhere. Business is seen like never before. This is a combination of the election victory and tariffs. It’s a nice word, isn’t it? “Said Trump.
China is more concerned about deflation than inflation. But Li recognized the other challenges of the economy, mainly falling real estate prices and depressive consumer expenditure. He confirmed Beijing’s “unshakable commitment” to open up.
“Regardless of changes in the external environment, we should remain steadfast in our commitment to the opening,” said Li. “We will further expand our globally oriented network of high -ranked free trade areas.”
In an explanation that he undoubtedly refers to the United States, he warned that “an increasingly elaborate and earnest external environment in areas such as trade, science and technology could have a greater influence on China.
Leave the climate agreement against the green transition
Trump was emblazoned on his step to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and described his energy policy with the nickname “Drill, Baby, Drill”. He praised the environmental restrictions of the previous administration and (incorrectly) of the mandate of the electric vehicle to “save our car workers and companies from economic destruction”.
On the contrary, Beijing relies on a green economy. Li said it was a priority to accelerate the “green transition” for “all areas of economic and social development”. China already has the world’s largest electric vehicle industry. Li said that China would reflect Xi’s earlier promises, “active and prudent” in carbon peak and carbon neutrality.
Li emphasized the importance of innovation and development of the technical economy in China, including artificial intelligence. It is an advance that many US political decision -makers could fear to question America’s leadership in technology, which affects both the economic and military rivalry between the two.
Trump did not mention the technology, except that it would aid to build a “golden dome” rocket defense sign through the United States. One measure, he said, consisted of reviving the American shipbuilding industry. Li’s report on the defense briefly, however, said China “would accelerate the development of new combat skills”.
Maga against Chinese ‘rejuvenation’ ‘
There is also something in common: both countries long for size.
The United States dominated the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century as increasing and then reigning. His economy and military are still the most powerful in the world. When China comes out as a rising power, his interests are increasingly and inevitably collidating with those of the Americans and their allies about trade, technology and distant Pacific Islands.
Nowadays it plays through China’s control over its domestic media in America’s divisions and violent crimes. The message to its people: it offers a better choice for her future than the disorder of democracy.
Trump presented a different view. He opened his speech a lot when he spent gigantic parts of his opening speech in January: by explaining that “America’s momentum was back”.
“Our mind is back. Our pride is back. Our trust is back. And the American dream increases larger and better than ever, ”said Trump. “Our country is about to have a comeback.”
XI has shaped the so -called “Chinese dream”, by which the nation is rejuvenated or restored to rejuvenate a position of size that it has in the past centuries.
China does not necessarily want to be a guide in the sense of the United States, but it wants to be considered equivalent. Specifically, China wants a greater say in the determination of rules in a global system that is dominated by the United States for a long time.
Trump seems more to free the United States from global rules. Apart from the Paris Agreement, he pulled the United States from other global groups, including the World Health Organization and the UN Human Rights Council – which he had in his speech as achievements.
When Trump withdraws the United States from international engagement, China manages to fill the gap. It is unclear to what extent the communist party believes that this is in their interest and is able and willing to do so.
At the beginning of his speech, Li told the delegates that China had made “solid new progress” to promote his modernization – an echo of the “four modernizations” that became a mantra during the dominion of the overdue Deng Xiaoping in the overdue 1970s and 1980s.
When he ended his report, Li, as expected, made the call that so many Chinese leaders at these annual March meetings: “Build a big country,” he said, “and promote national rejuvenation.”
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Ken Moritsugu, based in Beijing, covers China for the Associated Press. Didi Tang, an experienced China correspondent, now reports for AP from Washington, DC
