Obama plays China card, but who holds the ace? — I

Obama's approach builds on aspects of the Bush administration's stance toward China, which encouraged Beijing to be a responsible “stakeholder” in the global community.

But all indications are that the Obama White House intends to move the bilateral relationship to the next level, making it more of a partnership — and that in turn is raising hackles among some traditional U.S. allies, who often don't see eye to eye with China and now worry they will be marginalized.

One of the clearest signals of the Obama administration's desire to give China and other large, fast-growing economies more global clout was the decision — adopted at the Pittsburgh Group of 20 summit in September — to make the G-20 the premier forum for discussing global economic issues.

The shift reduces the role of the G-7 and G-8, groups dominated by rich Western countries that have long enjoyed elite status in global economic decision-making. And that has led to some European anxiety that the G-20 could give way to a G-2 of the United States and China.

In Pittsburgh, European officials privately vented frustration at a U.S. willingness to bend over backwards to give China a voice. During one session on International Monetary Fund voting power, a European official became so angry at China's position he had to leave the room to cool down.

At a luncheon, some Europeans were less astonished by China's refusal to include climate change in the communique than by the United States' willingness to go along. Several delegates could barely eat their lunch, according to a former U.S. official who was told of how the discussion played out.

But the Obama administration wants to reassure Beijing that the United States, for one, welcomes China's new assertiveness on the world stage, even if the two countries don't always agree.

Climate change is expected to be a major topic of Obama's meetings with President Hu Jintao when he visits Beijing. Ahead of the Dec. 7 global climate talks in Copenhagen, the administration sees this issue as a key test of whether China will step up to the plate as a truly global player.

“What we're seeing here is for the first time really in the history of U.S.-China relations, truly global issues are moving to the center of the U.S.-China relationship,” said Kenneth Lieberthal, who was a top Asia adviser to former President Bill Clinton.

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