2011 report to congress - U.S.-China Economic and Security Review ...

dkrause on DSKHT7XVN1PROD with $$_JOB263State Councilor Dai BingguoChina’s State Councilor Dai Bingguo advises the premier andvice premier of the State Council of the Chinese government(currently Wen Jiabao and Li Keqiang, respectively) and outranksthe ministers of foreign affairs and commerce. In additionto his position in the Chinese government, State Councilor Daialso has influence among the CCP leadership as a full member ofthe CCP Central Committee* and as the former head of the CCPInternational Department and the former party secretary of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs. 108 In his role as state councilor,State Councilor Dai is often considered China’s top diplomat andserves as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s counterpartin important bilateral meetings, such as the annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. 109Unlike the U.S. State Department, which is instrumental in formulatingand implementing foreign policy, China’s Ministry of ForeignAffairs primarily implements foreign policies that have beenapproved by the Politburo Standing Committee and the Foreign AffairsLeading Small Group. For example, Chinese ambassadors,who serve under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, generally neitherapprove nor direct policy; they can only make recommendations tohigher-ups. In states deemed less vital to China’s national interests,the ministry enjoys more leeway in determining policies. 110 Intestimony to the Commission, Daniel Kritenbrink, then acting deputyassistant secretary of State in the Bureau of East Asian andPacific Affairs, explained the challenges of liaising with China’sMinistry of Foreign Affairs due to its limited role in foreign policymaking:The [Chinese] Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while being the[U.S.] State Department’s primary counterpart, [is] one ofseveral voices and institutions involved in the making ofChinese foreign policy. . . . Given the structure of the CommunistParty and the Chinese government, the ultimate decisionsare made at a much higher level.’’ 111According to several witnesses who testified to the Commission,the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in foreign policy-makinghas diminished over the past decade. 112 David Lampton, director ofChina Studies at The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced InternationalStudies, testified that ‘‘no longer do [China’s Ministry of]Foreign Affairs offices control the gateways to the outside world asthey once did.’’ 113 Some analysts assert that the reasons for the declinein influence include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ increasingreliance on other agencies for expertise and its competition with amultitude of other actors advancing their interests overseas. 114 For* The full CCP Central Committee, elected by the National Congress of the Communist Partyof China, is composed of 371 top Chinese leaders from the party, state, and army. The bodynominally elects members of the Politburo (25 members), which appoints the Politburo StandingCommittee (nine members). However, most analysts agree that the Central Committee as a fullbody does not have much real power in Beijing and merely serves as a rubber stamp for decisionsalready made by the Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee. Nevertheless, departmentswithin the body can be very influential. Kenneth Lieberthal, Governing China: FromRevolution Through Reform (New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1995), pp. 78–79;Xinhua, ‘‘New CPC [Communist Party of China] central committee elected,’’ October 21, 2007.http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007–10/21/content_6917379.htm.VerDate Nov 24 2008 13:46 Nov 10, 2011 Jkt 067464 PO 00000 Frm 00275 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 G:\GSDD\USCC\2011\067464.XXX 067464