Media Contacts:
Barry Naughton: (619) 534-2481 or bnaughton@ucsd.edu
Anne Middleton, IR/PS Communications Director: 534-2777 or amiddleton@ucsd.edu

Photo - Barry Naughton - property of UCSD IR/PS

Barry Naughton, China specialist and economist at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) at the University of California, San Diego, is available to provide commentary about issues related to China Prime Minister Zhu Rongji’s visit to the United States this month.

Naughton can elaborate on diverse topics, including Zhu’s leadership and goals, issues surrounding China’s possible acceptance into the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the progress of China’s economic reform.  He can also comment on recent controversies related to nuclear espionage, human rights violations, China’s stand on NATO’s bombing of Kosovo and growing anti-China sentiment in the United States.

"There are many complex issues related to U.S.-China relations," Naughton said.  "Between friends, many of these could be easily resolved, but the number of issues is large.   The positive outcome of this visit would be that Zhu convinces U.S. policymakers that China has a reasonable agenda and can be trusted.  The negative scenario would be that he comes across as too assertive or defensive and fails to mollify China’s critics, and that China’s policy continues to get kicked around in Washington as a political football."

While negotiations related to China’s joining the WTO have accelerated in recent months, Naughton doubts concrete agreements will be made during Zhu’s visit.  He believes, however, that China should be accepted into the WTO.  China’s acceptance into WTO would "spur economic reforms in China and provide foreign countries, including the United States, with an even playing field when it comes to reciprocal free trade opportunities.   If China is not accepted into the WTO, friction in Sino-U.S. relations will continue, and the Chinese market will lose its appeal to U.S. investors."

Zhu is known in China as the "tough guy" because of his willingness to take on entrenched interest groups, such as the military or corrupt divisions of the Customs Service, Naughton added.   "He's an excellent economist who is very assertive, and he has hands-on control over much of economic policy in China."

Comparing him to New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Naughton describes Zhu as "extremely self-confident but also very sensitive to criticism, especially as related to his policies."

"His agenda during this visit will be to sit down face-to-face with U.S. policymakers and reassure them about Chinese policies and intentions," Naughton said.  "In the past, Zhu has made very favorable impressions on U.S. businessmen and politicians.  He'd like to build on that positive reputation and convince Americans that China is committed to moving forward politically and economically."

Naughton points out that China has made significant economic reforms in the last two years.  Zhu has moved to get the Chinese military out of business and to crack down on corrupt government officials running huge smuggling rackets, he said.

"A beginning has been made on financial restructuring, and new initiatives are now shifting the focus on bank lending to the private sector," Naughton said.  "Despite these promising policy initiatives, this year is shaping up as an extremely difficult one for China, largely because of the delayed impact of the Asian economic crisis on China."

Naughton is an authority on the Chinese economy, including industry, foreign trade, and the transition to a market economy.  Naughton’s 1995 study of Chinese economic reforms, Growing Out of the Plan: Chinese Economic Reform, 1978-1993, is a comprehensive account of the Chinese reform process and was awarded the Ohira Memorial Prize in 1996.  Naughton is the author of numerous articles on the Chinese economy, and also the editor or co-editor of three other books: Reforming Asian Socialism: The Growth of Market Institutions, Urban Spaces in Contemporary China and The China Circle: Economics and Technology in the PRC, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Naughton is currently researching regional economic growth in China and the relationship between foreign trade and investment and regional growth.  He is also completing a general textbook on the Chinese economy.  His recently completed projects have focused on Chinese trade and technology and, in particular, the relationship between the development of the electronics industry in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and the growth of trade and investment among those economies.

Naughton joined IR/PS in 1988 and was named Sokwanlok Professor of Chinese International Affairs in 1998.  He received a B.A. in Chinese language and literature from the University of Washington, followed by a M.A. in international affairs and a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University.

Established in 1986, UCSD’s Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) is the University of California’s only professional school of international affairs and the only graduate school in the United States to focus exclusively on the Pacific Rim.   More information on the graduate school can be found on its web site at: http://www-irps.ucsd.edu.