With President Obama making his three-day trip to China this week, GlobalPost correspondent Josh Shin hits the streets of Beijing to talk to residents about their thoughts on how the U.S. president is doing.
In this video, Shin hears from, among others, a Chinese software auditor who is unsatisfied with Obama's position on trade with China and a factory worker who is concerned about the U.S. relationship with Taiwan, which is technically part of China, but has very different political and economic systems than the communist mainland.
Quotes
"Overall, I'm not very satisfied, because recently, for example, with the financial crisis, Obama has engaged in trade protectionism, in the interests of his own country's economic growth." - Wang Yan, software auditor
"I think it's the Taiwan question. Taiwan belongs to the Chinese people. We will never give her up. She's part of Chinese territory. She's a member of our family, but America is always selling her weapons. We find that hard to understand." - Yong Baoyu, factory worker
"Obama coming to China, I think it's mainly intended to help the U.S. economy. Doesn't he need China to keep buying U.S. debt? I think that's the reason he's here. But, from the perspective of the environment and new sources of energy, I think Obama and China will make progress, because this is a topic Chinese leaders also care about." - Wang Yan, software auditor
Warm Up Questions
1. Where is China?
2. What is China's relationship with the United States?
3. How do you think regular Chinese people view the U.S.?
Discussion Questions
1. What did you learn from this video?
2. Did any of the responses in this video surprise you? Why or why not?
3. What do you think the Chinese people in this video expect from an American president?
Additional Resources
