Chinese president woos big business as US visit begins

AFP, SEATTLE: Chinese President Xi Jinping begins his US state visit in the West Coast hub of Seattle yesterday aiming to woo American businesses and take the edge off the White House’s wariness of the Asian giant.
Xi will set the tone of his visit in meetings and a keynote speech to leaders of states like Washington which do substantial business with China, as well as the heads of top companies with huge China interests such as Boeing and Microsoft.
With the Obama administration increasingly at odds with Beijing over its territorial claims in the South China Sea, cyber theft of US business secrets and alleged unfair business practices against US investors in China, Xi could have his best chance to clear some air while in Seattle.
But he also has to balance that with a demonstration to the public back home that the United States takes his country seriously as a peer among global superpowers.
The Seattle speech late Tuesday will be his only major address while in the United States. He will follow that with a roundtable meeting early Wednesday of top US and Chinese corporate chieftains aiming to underscore the centrality—to China at least—of trade and investment to the relationship, while downplaying political issues.

Chinese president woos big business as US visit begins

AFP, SEATTLE: Chinese President Xi Jinping begins his US state visit in the West Coast hub of Seattle yesterday aiming to woo American businesses and take the edge off the White Houses wariness of the Asian giant. Xi will set the tone of his visit in meetings and a keynote speech to leaders of states like Washington which do substantial business with China, as well as the heads of top companies with huge China interests such as Boeing and Microsoft. With the Obama administration increasingly at odds with Beijing over its territorial claims in the South China Sea, cyber theft of US business secrets and alleged unfair business practices against US investors in China, Xi could have his best chance to clear some air while in Seattle. But he also has to balance that with a demonstration to the public back home that the United States takes his country seriously as a peer among global superpowers. The Seattle speech late Tuesday will be his only major address while in the United States. He will follow that with a roundtable meeting early Wednesday of top US and Chinese corporate chieftains aiming to underscore the centralityto China at leastof trade and investment to the relationship, while downplaying political issues.