Why Asians Both Love and Don't Love Obama

By Tom Plate

A presidential trip to Asia used to be a visit that was comparatively low on the global degree of diplomatic difficulty. No more.

In the good old days, the Japanese were prepared to be told what to do by any American president — and often would actually do it. The Chinese, until the last decade or so, didn't have to be told to do anything, because basically they never did much except drive their country into the ground with Communism. But now they are globally out and about and doing all sorts of things, many good, some less so. And, should you wish, you could tell the South Koreans to do what you wanted them to do, and they might smile, and then do some of it — or maybe not.


Poor Barack Obama. He goes to visit China, once a humbled country, that's now practically the Federal Treasury's American Express. We've borrowed more dough from the Chinese than from anyone, and they are getting close to wanting to lower our credit limit.

In Japan, a new government is in power — the former opposition. It is trying to recalibrate Tokyo's relationship with Washington without undermining it. It's not exactly going to get in bed with Beijing (too much historic distrust). But economic talks — and their bilateral commercial dealings — have never been more mutually enriching.

South Korea is always a bit tricky for a White House occupant, and not just because of North Korea, which is the crazy relative up in the attic that you hear prowling around making all sorts of weird noises at odd hours in the morning. In truth, South Korea illustrates the overall general problem in the entire Asia-U.S. partnership. An arduously negotiated free-trade agreement between Washington and Seoul right now is stalled on Capital Hill worse than is heath care reform. The Obama administration, accepting the reality that many of its left-wing and trade union allies don't like features of that FTA (and some, of any FTA), will pressure Seoul to make more concessions.

And that's the problem: What the South Koreans will probably do is a reflection of the whole Asia-U.S. picture right now. Obama is so popular and charming that no one in Asia will want to say no to him, at least directly. So the Koreans will clench their teeth and swallow a gallon of Soju (the potent native drink) and concede some and bear it. But they will hate compromising further than they already have. The United States is not the only country in the world with stubborn domestic interests, such as farmers and automakers.

The problem with Obama is not that he isn't (a) smart, (b) charming and (c) thoughtful and caring, it's that he's a (d) "¦ Democrat. Asians believe various union lobbies and special interests tend to tie a Democratic president's hands, but a Republican president can tell that crowd where to go and so exercise greater economic decision-making.

It's true that by the end of his eight years as President, George W. Bush was not going to win the Mr. Congeniality Award from Asian countries and elites (except, notably, from India). But they loved it when his administration's policies reflected the Grand Old Party's pro-free-trade philosophy. They also tended to marvel at how skillfully and relatively often Bill Clinton was able to outmaneuver traditional Democratic protectionist forces to keep America's free-trade deals and directions mainly on track.

Asia is now dying a thousand deaths about Obama.

They know he will give good speeches, he always gives good speeches! But they have also mainly taken his measure and they know he doesn't always move quickly from the airy realm of grand-sounding philosophy into the gritty realm of actual hard-won policy results. He bodes to become the poster boy for the obvious art of down-the-middle compromise.
So what Asian leaders and elite love about our charismatic president is also what they hate: He is too easy to absolutely love and almost impossible to hate. No one wants to stand up to him and tell him point blank that the price of not proceeding with alacrity to nail down every possible economic pact with Asia is the continued rise of China's already considerable influence.

Funnily enough, the Chinese may for some reason fail to tell him as well. And that won't be hard to figure out why.

This article ran in the Pocono Record (Pennsylvania) on November 18, 2009.