China president to begin US visit

US President Barack Obama (L) and China's President Hu Jintao, hold a meeting at the G-20 summit in the South Korean capital, Seoul, last November. The two officials meet again in Washington on Tuesday

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/160683.html


Chinese President Hu Jintao is set to begin a four-day visit to the United States at a time of strained relations between the two economic powers.

Both countries hope to unveil a raft of commercial and trade deals during the high-profile visit, which will begin on Tuesday.

US President Barack Obama is meanwhile expected to throw a White House reception for President Hu -- the first state dinner there for a Chinese leader in 13 years.

During his last visit in 2006, former US president George W Bush is said to have insulted Hu, when he opted for lunch rather than a state dinner.

Over the past year, relations between Washington and Beijing have become increasingly tense and mistrustful.

A simmering currency row, human rights issues, the North Korea crisis and China's military ambitions have all stressed Sino-US ties.

Scarred by a financial meltdown and a slow recovery, the United States meanwhile wishes to encourage the world's fastest growing economy to engage in commercial and trade deals worth tens of billions of dollars.

Trade between the US and China is currently worth $400 billion, up from $100 million 30 years ago, when the United States formalized relations with China.

The Obama administration also needs Beijing's cooperation on climate change, North Korea, and Iran's nuclear program.

"Our economies are entwined and so are our futures… A thriving America is good for China, and a thriving China is good for America," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on January 14, ahead of the Chinese leader's trip.

However, despite the conciliatory note, some US senators on Monday once again pressed Congress to penalize Beijing for "manipulating" its currency -- the yuan.

The United States accuses China of deliberately keeping the yuan low to give its companies an unfair trade advantage.

China, however, continues to resist pressures from the US to raise the value of its currency against the US dollar, stressing that such demands will not balance the Sino-US trade, nor will they solve America's back-breaking unemployment problem.

Beijing has also bristled at Washington's six-billion-dollar arms contract with Taiwan, which brought mutual military relations between the two countries to halt last year.

Dalai Lama's visit to Washington and criticism of China's human rights record, along with North Korea, have also exposed diplomatic fault lines in Sino-US relations.

However, both sides now seem to be trying to cool the drama.

President Hu's visit to the United States will likely be his last before a Chinese leadership transition is complete by 2013.

This means that US officials are now anticipating the next era of relations with Beijing.