Unexpected& Unusual: Obama Meeting with Xi Jinping Announced
On May21, it was officially declared that U.S.
President Barack Obama and China’s President
Xi Jinping will meet in June, in California.
This is deemed an unexpected and unusual meeting,
as Xi took over as state president two months ago.
In contrast, Hu Jintao’s first US trip was three
years after assuming office, whilst Jiang Zemin
was four and a half years after taking office.
Why is Xi Jinping hastily going to visit the US?
What are the issues for Obama and Xi to discuss?
Let’s see the experts』 interpretation of it.
China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry stated that before
Xi’s US trip, Xi will visit Trinidad and Tobago,
Costa Rica, and Mexico, from May31 to June6.
June7-8, Xi will meet with President Obama in California.
The White House announced that Obama and Xi will
debate a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues.
They will"review progress and challenges in
U.S.-China relations over the past four years.
They will also discuss ways to enhance cooperation, whilst
constructively managing differences in the years ahead.
Wu Fan, Chief editor, US-based China Affairs:
"I think their talks will cover a broad range of issues.
Xi Jinping has held office as the new Chinese
Communist Party(CCP) leader for over half a year.
Firstly, China now faces a plight, in that it is subject
to the influence of the world’s political situation.
Secondly, Chinese netizens have
flooded US online petition systems.
A lot of US factories have also
withdrawn from mainland China.
This is also increased economic hardship in China."
Wu Fan says that between the two countries,
there exist many problems that need to be solved.
Also, the U.S. have involved in other issues.
These include US-China relations, China-Europe
relations, and relations between China and its neighbors.
Wu Fan thinks that China has been beset
with internal and external difficulties.
All these have driven Xi Jinping to seek
solutions, by negotiating with the US.
The Obama-Xi meeting has
sparked intense US media attention.
According to a Los Angeles Times article dated
May21, there are a few possible discussion topics.
The US may pressure the CCP to help persuade
Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program.
They may also discuss the CCP’s large-scale cyber
attacks on the US government and businesses.
On the same day, the Canadian Global Post reported
issues that are possibilities of being discussed.
These are North Korea, cyber attacks, and
territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Guo Yongfeng, Founder of"Citizen Watchdog":
"These are secret and unexpected talks.
The CCP has been well prepared for it, with a clear aim.
It implements authoritarian diplomacy, mainly by
using dollars, then by personal relationship, and bribery.
But Xi doesn’t know that Obama won’t fall for that."
As scheduled, Obama and Xi will meet at Sunnylands,
the famed Annenberg estate, located in Rancho Mirage.
On May21, a blog was published
on the Brookings Institution website.
It reviewed that in an informal environment, the two can talk
about their domestic challenges and visions for the future.
Zhong Weiguang, Germany-based scholar:
"I think that no matter what approach Xi Jinping
will take, and what he will advocate or promise,
all the results will only be transitory.
The core issue is that Xi’s choice of political
route, and his justification of China’s history."
According to Hong Kong’s Cheng Ming Magazine,
Xi Jinping gave warning at a high-level meeting in March.
Xi said that the CCP will face a
life-or-death battle in2013 and2014.
Zhong Weiguang hopes that Xi will choose
a new direction in the face of China’s history.
That will be good for Xi himself, for China,
and for the future, explains the scholar.
