Editorials from around the world

China’s trade deficit

China’s likely trade deficit in March may not be enough to dissuade some Western people from insisting stubbornly that trade surplus countries should be blamed for the global imbalance as well as the predicaments of highly indebted rich countries.

But the first monthly trade deficit since May 2004, according to an upcoming March 28 report from Minister of Commerce Chen Deming, will speak volumes about the steady growth of China’s contribution to global demand.

Thanks to the strong recovery of the Chinese economy, the country’s imports have been increasing more rapidly than exports, which have been affected by a drop in demand from industrialized countries.

Since a one-third drop in China’s trade surplus in 2009 had failed to prevent some Westerners from making a shaky excuse to pressurize the Chinese government to revalue the yuan, it is more than likely that they will just choose to ignore China’s first monthly trade deficit.

Yet, China’s transition from a net exporter to a net importer will have more implications than exposing the fallacy that the country is manipulating currency to subsidize exports.

In fact, the urgent question for the world economy should be whether it is ready for the accelerated growth of China’s appetite for imported goods and services.

For years, the rise of China as a global manufacturing center has largely eclipsed the steady expansion of its domestic demand. If China’s appetite turns out to be bigger than the market expects, it may trigger a round of demand-driven inflation that will only make the global recovery much more complicated.

— China Daily, Beijing

U.S.-Israeli diplomacy

The tone and content of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Washington was defiant and arrogant. Netanyahu made it clear that his government was not willing to discuss peace with the Palestinians when he told his sympathetic audience that the Israeli settlement program in East Jerusalem will continue unabated.

Jerusalem, in its entirety, he also said, was and will stay Israel’s capital, come what may.

So much for trying to placate the host, a steady ally that is snubbed arrogantly every time it timidly tries to slap Israel on the wrist and whose patience is constantly tried by a purported friend bent on colonizing the last remains of Arab land in Palestine.

By ignoring the millennia-old Arab Christian and Islamic links to Jerusalem, the Israeli prime minister is certain to sow the seeds of conflict, not only with the Palestinians but also with the Muslim and Christian worlds.

It could be that Netanyahu wanted to set the tone for his impending talks with U.S. President Barack Obama, who appears serious about delivering on his pledge to find a way out of the deadlock on peace in the Middle East and a just solution to Jerusalem.

It is now up to the Obama administration to set the parameters for the settlement of the Palestinian file, including, of course, Jerusalem.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who delivered her speech to AIPAC, made the administration’s displeasure with Israel’s settlement project clear.

“It undermines America’s unique ability to play a role - an essential role, I might add - in the peace process. Our credibility in this process depends in part on our willingness to praise both sides when they are courageous, and when we don’t agree, to say so, and say so unequivocally.”

Delicately put, but a point made nonetheless.

— The Jordan Times, Amman, Jordan

Census promotion

Does anyone recall the Census being this annoying in 2000? Every time you turn on a TV or radio, there’s another ad, pounding it into your heads how important an accurate head count is to divvying up federal funding and congressional representation. Households even got a letter saying they would soon be receiving the Census form in the mail.

The 2010 Census’ astounding $300 million promotional campaign was aimed at reaching the average person 42 times. It seems like it’s been a heckuva lot more than that. The messages have become like an annoying little brother who won’t stop poking you. Enough already!

Starting with a $2.5 million spot during the Super Bowl, a series of TV commercials produced by Christopher Guest featured some show-biz types preparing to film “A Snapshot of America.” Even little kids can’t escape the blitz. Dora the Explorer is featured in advertising spots and schools are getting promotional items to distribute, including shoulder bags and coloring books.

Prior to 2000, the government primarily relied on public service announcements. Following a three-decade decline in Census returns, a $100 million advertising campaign in 2000 resulted in a 65 percent increase in mail returns, saving the Census Bureau about $305 million.

Will the $300 million spent on promotion this year result in a comparable increase in returns? We’ll see — after we return our forms, then cover our ears and close our eyes until the advertising blitz is over.

— Asbury Park Press, New Jersey