BEIJING, CHINA – The highlight of President Barack Obama’s inaugural trip to China this week was the town hall style meeting with young university students in Shanghai. In fact, America’s presidents have a history of taking questions from Chinese students.
Ronald Reagan
April 30, 1984
Fudan University, Shanghai
“What most impressed you in college? What was most helpful to you in your political career?”
“What are your views on enhancing academic exchanges between Fudan and American universities?”
“What is the role of American universities in developing science and technology?”
“What will you tell young American when you are back in the U.S.?”
Bill Clinton
June 29, 1998
Peking University, Beijing
“How should genuine mutual understanding and respect between our two peoples be promoted, seeing that most Americans know little about the Chinese?”
“Don’t you think there are also problems in democracy, freedom and human rights in the U.S.?”
“How will you feel if students demonstrated and protested against you?”
George W. Bush
February 22, 2002
Tsinghua University, Beijing
“Why does the U.S. theater missile defense system cover Taiwan? Also, whenever you talk about Taiwan, you always use phrases such as ‘peaceful resettlement.’ You never use ‘peaceful reunification.’ Why are these two different for you?”
“An alumnus of Tsinghua was killed during his studies in the U.S. last year. I feel so sad. And I know such crimes on campuses have become more and more serious in the U.S. As the president, do you have any good plans to improve human rights today in the U.S.?”
“Will you encourage your daughters to study in our university?”
Barack Obama
November 16, 2009
Museum of Science & Technology, Shanghai
“Mr. President, good afternoon. I'm from Tongji University. I want to cite a saying from Confucius: ‘It is always good to have a friend coming from afar.’ In Confucius books, there is a great saying which says that harmony is good, but also we uphold differences. China advocates a harmonious world. We know that the United States develops a culture that features diversity. I want to know, what will your government do to build a diversified world with different cultures? What would you do to respect the different cultures and histories of other countries? And what kinds of cooperation we can conduct in the future?”
“Mr. President, I'm a student from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. I have a question concerning the Nobel Prize for Peace. In your opinion, what's the main reason that you were honored the Nobel Prize for Peace? And will it give you more responsibility and pressure to -- more pressure and the responsibility to promote world peace? And will it bring you -- will it influence your ideas while dealing with the international affairs? Thank you very much.”
“Mr. President, it's a great honor for the last question. And I'm a college student from Fudan University, and today I'm also the representative of China's Youth (inaudible.) And this question I think is from Beijing: Paid great attention to your Afghanistan policies, and he would like to know whether terrorism is still the greatest security concern for the United States? And how do you assess the military actions in Afghanistan, or whether it will turn into another Iraqi war? Thank you very much.”
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