Ho Tam, Vase with Jiang Zemin and Bill Clinton shaking hands (FC-012) (2025)

Ho Tam  
Vase with Jiang Zemin and Bill Clinton shaking hands (FC-012) 
2025  
inkjet on glossy photo paper  
edition of 5  
22 x 17 inches
unframed
 
 
China and the United States have had diplomatic and trade relationship since Qing Dynasty. The relationship had become estranged during the Cold War but was gradually restored since 1979.
 
In 1997, President Jiang Zemin went on a groundbreaking state visit to the United States. In an official summit meeting, Jiang and President Bill Clinton met and sought common ground while largely ignoring areas of disagreement. Clinton would visit China in June 1998, and vowed that China and the United States were partners in the world, and not adversaries. 
 
Relations between China and the United States have been generally stable with some periods of tension, most notably after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, which removed a common enemy and ushered in a world characterized by American dominance. There are also concerns relating to human rights in China and the political status of Taiwan.
 
As of 2021, the United States has the world’s largest economy and China the second largest. China has the world’s largest population and the United States has the third largest 
after India.