Where Has The Smog Gone Secretary of State John Kerry?

I don't know what to say about this morning except it blew my freaking mind.   Our Fulbright Hays group was invited by the Chinese Ministry of Education to attend The People-to-People Exchange Plenary Session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Yesterday and today, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong co-chaired the fifth annual U.S.-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE). The CPE aims to enhance and strengthen ties between the citizens of the United States and China and has done so over the past four years in the areas of culture, education, science and technology, sports, and women’s issues. This year, the two sides agreed to add a sixth area of people-to-people exchange: health.

If you are interested in seeing the individual goals you may do so here on the US Department of State's website. 

 Before we left we went for a run this morning and were marveling about how blue the sky was or that we could even see the sky for that matter.

 Today is July 10.  The picture above was taken 4 days ago in Beijing.  That is how the sky looked ever since we got here.  Smog galore.  The pollution is that severe.  So what changed?   What changed had something to do with the session we attended today.   John Kerry flew in for the discussion a couple of days ago.  The amount of pollution was drastically decreased on purpose for this event. 

My peeps and I getting ready to leave.

 We were given delegate badges that would serve as our identification.  Without them you cannot get in nor can you leave the Great Hall of the People.

 On the way we saw many police and military cars.  Their presence was strong this morning in Tiananmen Square.

 You can sometimes tell how hot it actually is outdoors by the sheer amount of umbrellas that appear.  You have to have one if hanging outdoors for too long.  You would absolutely fry otherwise.  It was around 100 degrees today, and as usual, humid humid humid.

 The Great Hall of the People.

 The agenda for the session we were attending this morning.

 Ceiling was stunning.

 I was stunned to walk into the room and see just how small it was.  In my mind I had thought we were going to be in a very very large crowd.  This was not the case.  We checked out Secretary of State John Kerry's seat pictured above.  Four pencils, two black and two red.

 Second row seats on the US side.   Before the meeting started we had the opportunity to speak with a number of individuals.  We met two gentlemen who worked for National Geographic who help educators to travel all over the world.  One of the teachers on our trip was a recipient of a grant from them last year that took her to the Arctic.  We were interviewed by a Chinese newspaper too.

This is Tina Tchen who is an assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady Michelle Obama.  Within the Obama Administration she also serves as the Executive Director for the Council on Women and Girls.  She was at this session to read a letter from Michelle Obama and to work with Chinese government and organizations on issues involving women's healthcare and domestic violence.  She is a gem.  Very down to earth, funny and friendly.  It was a pleasure meeting her.

 Translation equipment.  Yes, this is Ida.  Ida is a favorite of mine.  We have a lot of laughs.  And yes, we are bad ass.

 Panoramic shot of the room we were in listening to speeches about steps both sides want to take, issues they need to overcome and statements of dedication to cooperation between both countries.

That cooperation was lost prior to 1970. 

Communists under the leadership of Mao Zedong took over the country and established Chinese independence in October 1, 1941.  The two countries cut relations at that point.  In 1970 China/US ambassadors resumed relationships.  In 1971 Henry Kissinger traveled to China paving the way for Richard Nixon the following year to establish the Sino-US Joint Communique and opening the gate for bilateral negotiations.  In 1979 the US and China reestablished official diplomatic relations.  These relations have been continuous, yet often very strained. 

 Sitting in front of me to the side I saw a very very tall man.  And realized it was Yao Ming.  The one and only.  He is absolutely huge in person.  I have never met anyone that tall.

 This was how close we were to John Kerry.   This session was not really expected to make huge gains.  Primarily due to the fact that it is closing in near the end of the current presidential term.  It was said to us that the Chinese view Obama as a lame duck at this point.  His hands are tied with rampant bipartisanship, so there is no reason why China needs to compromise on anything they don't want to.   In a nutshell, the US wants to see freedom and transparency of information, and the Chinese want the US to allow them to continue to grow and implement change on their terms inside their own country.  For the Chinese, territory and sovereignty are never up for compromise due to imperialism and colonialism in China during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

It doesn't make it right in some people's eyes, and no one has to agree with what the Chinese do.  I think one of the biggest lessons I have learned repeatedly throughout my global travels is that history is so important to study, as it completely explains why things are the way they are and why people act the way they do.  There is a reason you are who you are today, past events in your life shape how you view the world, how you act, how you deal with problems and stress.  To understand yourself you must understand your own personal history.  Tis the same thing.

Secretary of State John Kerry singing with kids just before he left the room at the end of the session.  No goodbyes for us.  I guess he had more important things to do . . . . like trying to cooperate with China.   I guess we will let it go.