The Morning Brief: A Host of Issues Made in China
The Wall Street Journal Online</br></br>The Morning Brief, a look at the day's biggest news, is emailed to subscribers by 7 a.m. every business day. Sign up for the e-mail here.</br></br>Iraq may be the uber-issue of world affairs for a globe-trotting President Bush, but the U.S. relationship with China could nonetheless prove the dominant media topic at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this week in Australia.</br></br>A host of trade and political issues were already on the bilateral agenda for two of APEC's most powerful members, but reports of an alleged Chinese cyber attack on Pentagon computers this week provided a concrete focus for the simmering tension. The Pentagon hasn't confirmed or denied reports that it suspects the Chinese military was behind the breach, but President Bush was asked in Sydney if he would bring it up with Chinese President Hu Jintao. "In terms of whether or not I'll bring this up to countries that we suspect may -- from which there may have been an attack, I may," he replied, adding that "in this instance, I don't have the intelligence at my fingertips right now." As Mr. Bush went on to say, the Sino-American relationship is complex. "Whether it be this issue, or issues like intellectual property rights, I mean, if you have a relationship with a country, then you've got to respect the country's systems and knowledge base," he said. "And that's what we expect from people with whom we trade."</br></br>From Beijing, Washington wants more consumption of American goods, more social support for a middle class, and looser currency restrictions that could help reduce the huge U.S. trade deficit, as Mr. Bush reiterated. The president said that, as usual, he'd express concerns over imprisoned political dissidents, the Chinese treatment of Tibet and Beijing's support for Sudan over Darfur. "It's best to be able to discuss these issues in an environment that is frank and open and friendly, as opposed to one in which there's tension and suspicion," Mr. Bush said. "And so when I say we've got great relations, I will sit down with the President and have a good honest, candid discussion, and he's going to tell me what's on his mind and I'm darned sure going to tell him what's on my mind."