Obama's Brother in China

US President Barack Obama's ties with China are closer than you would expect.

Prior to his election as President of the United States, the issue of Barack Obama's citizenship by birth on US soil lay on the hot coils of debate. This argument brought to light questions regarding Obama's ancestral ties, which decidedly link him to the land of Kenya on the African continent. All arguments ended, we are clear President Obama was born of an American mother (Ann Dunham) and Kenyan-born Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. (now deceased).

Half-Brother Through a Common Father

Through a tie established in multiple marriages, Obama's father, Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., was also father to President Obama's half brother. Having established a presence on YouTube, Mark Ndesandjo is said by other reporting to live in Shenzhen, a bustling metropolis in southern China. He writes Chinese calligraphy, has a passable command of a spoken Chinese dialect, and seems to be living a life rich in culture and admirably fulfilled familial comforts.

Quite simply: Obama's brother is a happy man.

A Ripe Opportunity

What to say of all this? Well... Great!

If Obama's personal ties with China aren't convincing enough even to the President himself, at least they provide ample fodder for some curious discussion. Knowing how things turn out, this could be the start of a friendly banter between two nations whose ruffled feathers could use some preening.

Given the blunders at the sullied hands of former presidential administrations, Barack Obama is in a great position to leverage his relations with the Middle Kingdom.

Set aside its trade balance and recent funding of America's bailout, China's rise to power provides Barack Obama a ripe opportunity to begin mending the wrongs of the past. Perhaps Obama may forge new ties with China that may help foster cooperation of a kind unseen before.

Simply wonderful.