U.S., China Put Aside Rancor To Fight New Enemy: Terror.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(PERSPECTIVE)

Byline: K.E. GRUBBS JR.

While in China, President Bush is no doubt focused on the war on terrorism. He should be. But if he happens to look around, he'll notice something else: Shanghai has prettified itself.

The roadways from the airport into China's most teeming city are lined with cultivated gardens. Colorful flowers spell out "APEC."

The landscaping thoughtfully welcomes delegates, including Bush, to the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, long coveted by Chinese political leaders as an event to host.

China calculates that its hospitality, planned well before the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, will speed its integration into the global economy.

Behind the pleasantries lies the tight security common to authoritarian countries. Indeed, the anti-globalist protesters who've descended on economic summits from Seattle to Genoa have elected to stay away. Not George W. Bush.

Attractive China

The president who's defined the new war on terrorism as a defense of freedom has suddenly found China more attractive than the huge …