Group of Two
Encyclopedia
The Group of Two is a proposed informal special relationship between the United States
and the People's Republic of China
. Originally initiated by C. Fred Bergsten
as primarily an economic relationship, it began to gain wider currency and scope from foreign policy experts as a term recognizing the centrality of the U.S.-China relationship
near the beginning of the Obama Administration. Prominent advocates include former National Security Advisor
Zbigniew Brzezinski
, historian Niall Ferguson
, World Bank President Robert Zoellick
and chief economist Justin Yifu Lin
.
As the two most influential and powerful countries in the world, there has been increasingly strong suggestions within American political circles of creating a G-2 relationship where the United States and China would work out solutions to global problems together.
in 2005. In 2009, Bergsten made the following arguments for such a relationship:
Zbigniew Brzezinski
has been a vocal advocate for the concept. He publicly advanced the notion in Beijing
in January 2009 as the two countries celebrated the 30th anniversary of establishing formal diplomatic ties. He views the informal G-2 as helpful in finding solutions to the global financial crisis, climate change
(Politics of global warming
), North Korea's nuclear program, Iran's nuclear program, the India-Pakistan tensions
, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
, UN peacekeeping, nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament
. He called the principle of "harmony" a "mission worthy of the two countries with the most extraordinary potential for shaping our collective future."
Historian Niall Ferguson
has also advocated the G-2 concept. He coined the term Chimerica
to describe the symbiotic nature of the U.S.-China economic relationship.
Robert Zoellick
, president of the World Bank
, and Justin Yifu Lin
, the Bank's chief economist and senior vice president, has stated that the G-2 is crucial for economic recovery and that the U.S. and China must work together. They state that "without a strong G-2, the G-20 will disappoint."
While widely discussed, the concept of a G-2 has not been fully defined. According to Brzezinski, G-2 described the current realities while for British Foreign Secretary David Miliband
, a G-2 could emerge in the foreseeable future. Miliband proposes EU integration as a means to create a potential G-3 that consists of the United States, China and Europe
.
China has officially stated that it does not agree to a G-2 system to make decisions for the world but prefers a multipolar
world. Premier Wen Jiabao
voiced this to President Barack Obama during his visit to China.
President Barack Obama
and United States Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton have been very supportive of good relations between the two countries and more cooperation on more issues more often. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
has stated that U.S.-China relationship to be "taken to a new level". Some experts have disagreed with the effectiveness of a G-2. However Clinton has said that there is no G-2.
The G-2 concept has been often evoked in international media during major bilateral meetings such as the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, and state visits as well as during global summits like the G-20 meetings and the Copenhagen Summit.
On October 2011, Obama indicated that his administration has moved past the G-2 idea involving only the United States and China to a G-3 formation that includes India
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. Originally initiated by C. Fred Bergsten
C. Fred Bergsten
C. Fred Bergsten is an American economist, author, and political adviser. He has served as Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department and has been director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, formerly the Institute for International Economics,...
as primarily an economic relationship, it began to gain wider currency and scope from foreign policy experts as a term recognizing the centrality of the U.S.-China relationship
Sino-American relations
For the article on U.S.-Taiwan relations, see Republic of China – United States relations.Sino-American or People's Republic of China–United States relations refers to international relations between the United States of America and the government of People's Republic of China...
near the beginning of the Obama Administration. Prominent advocates include former National Security Advisor
National Security Advisor (United States)
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor , serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues...
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski is a Polish American political scientist, geostrategist, and statesman who served as United States National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981....
, historian Niall Ferguson
Niall Ferguson
Niall Campbell Douglas Ferguson is a British historian. His specialty is financial and economic history, particularly hyperinflation and the bond markets, as well as the history of colonialism.....
, World Bank President Robert Zoellick
Robert Zoellick
Robert Bruce Zoellick is the eleventh president of the World Bank, a position he has held since July 1, 2007. He was previously a managing director of Goldman Sachs, United States Deputy Secretary of State and U.S. Trade Representative, from February 7, 2001 until February 22, 2005.President...
and chief economist Justin Yifu Lin
Justin Yifu Lin
Justin Yifu Lin , born as Zhengyi Lin, on October 15, 1952, in Yilan, Taiwan, is a Chinese economist and Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank.-Career and education:...
.
As the two most influential and powerful countries in the world, there has been increasingly strong suggestions within American political circles of creating a G-2 relationship where the United States and China would work out solutions to global problems together.
History
The concept of a G-2 was first raised by noted economist C. Fred BergstenC. Fred Bergsten
C. Fred Bergsten is an American economist, author, and political adviser. He has served as Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department and has been director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, formerly the Institute for International Economics,...
in 2005. In 2009, Bergsten made the following arguments for such a relationship:
- "the two together accounted for almost one half of all global growth during the four-year boom prior to the crisis;"
- "they are the two largest economies;"
- "they are the two largest trading nations;"
- "they are the two largest polluters;"
- "they are on opposite ends of the world's largest trade and financial imbalance: the United States is the largest deficit and debtor country while China is the largest surplus country and holder of dollar reserves; and"
- "they are the leaders of the two groups, the high-income industrialized countries and the emerging markets/developing nations, that each now account for about one half of global output."
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski is a Polish American political scientist, geostrategist, and statesman who served as United States National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981....
has been a vocal advocate for the concept. He publicly advanced the notion in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in January 2009 as the two countries celebrated the 30th anniversary of establishing formal diplomatic ties. He views the informal G-2 as helpful in finding solutions to the global financial crisis, climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
(Politics of global warming
Politics of global warming
The politics of global warming have involved corporate lobbying, funding of special interest groups and public relations campaigns by the oil and coal industries which have affected policy decisions and legislation worldwide...
), North Korea's nuclear program, Iran's nuclear program, the India-Pakistan tensions
Indo-Pakistani relations
Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained by a number of historical and political issues, and are defined by the violent partition of British India in 1947, the Kashmir dispute and the numerous military conflicts fought between the two nations...
, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
, UN peacekeeping, nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament refers to both the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons and to the end state of a nuclear-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated....
. He called the principle of "harmony" a "mission worthy of the two countries with the most extraordinary potential for shaping our collective future."
Historian Niall Ferguson
Niall Ferguson
Niall Campbell Douglas Ferguson is a British historian. His specialty is financial and economic history, particularly hyperinflation and the bond markets, as well as the history of colonialism.....
has also advocated the G-2 concept. He coined the term Chimerica
Chimerica
Chimerica is a neologism coined by Niall Ferguson and Moritz Schularick describing the symbiotic relationship between China and the United States, with incidental reference to the legendary chimera....
to describe the symbiotic nature of the U.S.-China economic relationship.
Robert Zoellick
Robert Zoellick
Robert Bruce Zoellick is the eleventh president of the World Bank, a position he has held since July 1, 2007. He was previously a managing director of Goldman Sachs, United States Deputy Secretary of State and U.S. Trade Representative, from February 7, 2001 until February 22, 2005.President...
, president of the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, and Justin Yifu Lin
Justin Yifu Lin
Justin Yifu Lin , born as Zhengyi Lin, on October 15, 1952, in Yilan, Taiwan, is a Chinese economist and Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank.-Career and education:...
, the Bank's chief economist and senior vice president, has stated that the G-2 is crucial for economic recovery and that the U.S. and China must work together. They state that "without a strong G-2, the G-20 will disappoint."
While widely discussed, the concept of a G-2 has not been fully defined. According to Brzezinski, G-2 described the current realities while for British Foreign Secretary David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
, a G-2 could emerge in the foreseeable future. Miliband proposes EU integration as a means to create a potential G-3 that consists of the United States, China and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
China has officially stated that it does not agree to a G-2 system to make decisions for the world but prefers a multipolar
Multipolar
Multipolar or multipolarity can refer to:* Polarity in international relations* Multipolar neuronSee also:* Tripolar...
world. Premier Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
voiced this to President Barack Obama during his visit to China.
President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Hillary Clinton have been very supportive of good relations between the two countries and more cooperation on more issues more often. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
has stated that U.S.-China relationship to be "taken to a new level". Some experts have disagreed with the effectiveness of a G-2. However Clinton has said that there is no G-2.
The G-2 concept has been often evoked in international media during major bilateral meetings such as the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, and state visits as well as during global summits like the G-20 meetings and the Copenhagen Summit.
On October 2011, Obama indicated that his administration has moved past the G-2 idea involving only the United States and China to a G-3 formation that includes India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
See also
- ChimericaChimericaChimerica is a neologism coined by Niall Ferguson and Moritz Schularick describing the symbiotic relationship between China and the United States, with incidental reference to the legendary chimera....
- Sino-American relationsSino-American relationsFor the article on U.S.-Taiwan relations, see Republic of China – United States relations.Sino-American or People's Republic of China–United States relations refers to international relations between the United States of America and the government of People's Republic of China...
- State capitalismState capitalismThe term State capitalism has various meanings, but is usually described as commercial economic activity undertaken by the state with management of the productive forces in a capitalist manner, even if the state is nominally socialist. State capitalism is usually characterized by the dominance or...
- U.S.–China Strategic and Economic DialogueU.S.–China Strategic and Economic DialogueThe U.S.–China Strategic and Economic Dialogue is a high-level dialogue for the United States and China to discuss a wide range of bilateral, regional and global political, strategic, security, and economic issues between both countries. The establishment of the S&ED was announced on April 1,...
- G-8
- G-7
- G-20
- 2009 G-20 London Summit2009 G-20 London summitThe 2009 G-20 London Summit is the second meeting of the G-20 heads of state in discussion of financial markets and the world economy, which was held in London on 2 April 2009 at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre. It followed the first G-20 Leaders Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy, which...
- 2009 G-20 Pittsburgh summit2009 G-20 Pittsburgh summitThe 2009 G-20 Pittsburgh Summit was the third meeting of the G-20 heads of state in discussion of financial markets and the world economy.The G-20 is the premier forum for discussing, planning and monitoring international economiccooperation....