Long Debate over the US Challenge } 641
replicating Deng Xiaoping’s masterstroke at the Houston rodeo in 1979.
Washington rolled out the red carpet for Jiang with a twenty-one-gun salute,
an honor guard inspection, a reception in the White House and its Rose
Garden, and a lavish state banquet. Jiang’s activities during his summit visit
were given fulsome media coverage in China, highlighting for Chinese audi-
ences Jiang’s, and by extension China’s, equal and respected status.
This was a major political objective from Jiang’s standpoint. During nego-
tiations over the summit, Beijing had insisted on a high-level state visit,
rejecting all US suggestions of a “working visit” and taking Deng Xiaoping’s
1979 visit as the standard for Jiang’s 1997 visit. Beijing also imported the con-
cept of “strategic partnership” (declared in 1996 in ties with Russia) into the
Joint Statement. The Joint Statement issued at the end of Jiang’s White House
visit on October 29, 1997, said: “The two Presidents are determined to build
toward a constructive strategic partnership ... through increasing cooperation
to meet international challenges ... to achieve this goal, they agree to approach
U.S.-China relations from a long-term perspective on the basis of the prin-
ciples of the three U.S.-China joint communiqués.”^10 As with China’s other
“strategic partnerships,” this declaration of principle was expected to mitigate
foreign inclinations to challenge China or view its growing capabilities with
suspicion.
Jiang successfully courted American public opinion during his visit by lis-
tening repeatedly to blunt American criticisms of China’s human rights situ-
ation while remaining calm, not becoming angry but holding his ground on
these issues and not backing down before strong and repeated US criticism.
Jiang also showed an ability to use humor, often self-deprecating, to defuse
criticism. Perhaps as much as any policy gains, Jiang’s ability to hold his own
while remaining calm and even occasionally display humor won him stature
in China. It also endeared him to a section of the US public, going some dis-
tance toward rehabilitating China’s image from the nadir of 6-4. The most
important audience for Jang’s performance in the United States was the other
members of the PBSC; to them he had demonstrated he was able to manage
the vital relation with the United States effectively while maintaining China’s
dignity.
Jiang had been carefully briefed on potentially embarrassing situations
he was likely to encounter in the United States. In Williamsburg, the mayor
of that city welcomed Jiang in a speech that extolled “universal principles
upon which America is built—freedom, liberty, and representative democ-
racy.” Jiang replied by blandly thanking the mayor for her “heart-warming
comments” and lauding Williamsburg for its role in the US struggle against
British colonialism.^11 In a private tête-à-tête with Clinton, Jiang frankly dis-
agreed with the American president on human rights, but, according to
Clinton, remained calm, did not become angry, and called for increased
Sino-American cooperation in spite of differences over human rights issues. In