China’s next leader stresses importance of friendship during US trip

Published on Wednesday 15 February 2012 02:44

The man expected to lead China for much of the coming decade visited Washington DC yesterday amid shifting sands and simmering tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

Vice-president Xi Jinping’s White House meeting comes as the United States prepares to pivot its military might towards East Asia and the Pacific in response to concerns Beijing is a growing threat in the region.

Complicating matters is the upcoming US presidential election, during which the Republican Party hopes to make capital by portraying president Barack Obama as “weak” against a trade rival that won’t stick to the rules.

Mr Xi is due to take over from Hu Jintao as leader of the Chinese Communist Party later this year, before becoming the nation’s head of state in 2013. If successful in his re-election bid, Mr Obama will be in the White House for the early years of Mr Xi’s presidency. As such, much will be made of the personal interaction between the two men.

The pair gave little away in their body language following a private meeting yesterday.

At a press conference after the meeting, Mr Xi said the aim of the visit was to “move forward the US-China relationship”.

Mr Obama said the US “welcomed China’s peaceful rise”, adding: “We believe a strong and prosperous China is one that can help bring stability and prosperity to the region and the world.”

But he added that with China’s expanding power comes “increased responsibility” and said that in terms of trade it should follow the “same rules of the road” as everyone else.

Washington has previously raised concerns over alleged trade violations and currency manipulation in Beijing that favours its exports to the detriment of the US manufacturing sector.

But Mr Obama is being urged to up the rhetoric in the face of criticism from would-be rivals for the US presidency.

The current front-runner for the Republican nomination, Mitt Romney, told supporters recently: “I will crack down on cheaters like China that steal our intellectual property, that steal our jobs, that hack into our computers, that manipulate our currency.”

And Mr Romney’s rival, Rick Santorum, declared during a televised debate that he wanted to “go to war with China”.

He was presumably speaking metaphorically in the context of trade relations, but there has been a noticeable toughening up in the rhetoric of the Republicans – it is clearly an area in which they believe the White House incumbent is weak.

The hawkishness of his opponents has led to a hardening of Mr Obama’s own stance. In his recent State of the Union address, he proposed a Trade Enforcement Unit to battle unfair practices. It was widely taken as a shot across the bow of Beijing’s policymakers.

The US has also been frustrated by China’s refusal to back sanctions on Iran and its decision to join Russia in vetoing a United Nations resolution on Syria.

Beijing is likewise dubious of the US’s military intentions.

Last month, Washington announced that it was to refocus its defence resources towards the Asia-Pacific region. The move was taken to be in response to a perceived growing military threat from Beijing.

It prompted China’s Ministry of Defence to warn the US that it needed to be “careful in its words and actions”.

Yesterday, Mr Xi softened the tone, stressing the need for friendship based on “mutual respect and mutual interests”.

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