Xi, Obama review progress in phone chat

Beijing and Washington confirmed on Wednesday that President Xi Jinping will make his first state visit to the United States in September, raising hopes that the long-anticipated trip will enhance the crucial but often troubled relationship between the world's largest economies.

Xi accepted US President Barack Obama's invitation during a wide-ranging discussion on the phone, touching on issues ranging from a Sino-US investment treaty to the more contentious topic of cybersecurity.

Xi noted that he and Obama had several in-depth talks in the past year and reached an important consensus on the development of China-US relations and key issues relating to peace and development in the region and the world, according to a Foreign Ministry announcement.

"I am looking forward to continuing the strategic exchanges and dialogues," Xi was quoted as saying in the announcement.

Xi hopes that the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, which will be held in the US this year, will reap as many fruits as possible with concerted efforts from both sides.

He called for both sides to speed up talks on a bilateral investment treaty, urging the US to loosen restrictions on high-tech exports to China and take action to facilitate Chinese companies' investment in the US.

China and the US were each other's second-largest trading partner in 2013.

Obama expressed his appreciation for China's contributions to the Ebola virus response and longer-term global health security in West Africa, and also for Xi's commitment to partner in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to achieve a successful outcome at the Paris Climate Summit later this year, according to a White House readout on Wednesday.

"The President encouraged China to continue its move toward consumption-led growth and a market-determined exchange rate, reiterated his commitment to pursue a high-standard and comprehensive bilateral investment treaty, and called for swift work to narrow our differences on cyber issues," it said.

Obama noted that he looks forward to welcoming Xi to Washington for a state visit later this year, the White House said.

Douglas Paal, vice-president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, interpreted the phone talk as "in keeping with Obama's legacy 'rebalance to Asia' and Xi's 'new type of major country relations' " as well as the two productive informal dialogues of the past two years.

He described the upcoming meeting as a time for the two leaders not to miss an opportunity to work cooperatively on common objectives and narrow differences this year.

Xi is expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly in September to mark the 70th anniversary of the UN's founding.This created the opportunity to invite China's leader for his first state visit, reciprocating Obama's state visit in November, Paal said.

"As America enters another election cycle, this meeting provides a measure of stability in a world of growing instability," Paal told China Daily on Wednesday.

Paal said that reaching out to Xi also has utility for the US, which is seeing its relationship with Russia slide into hostility, with Russia inching toward China.

"Obama has an interest in keeping China from moving too far from the US in this environment and in decreasing the likelihood of a Moscow-Beijing axis of some sort," he said.

The announcement came as US Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken was in Beijing.

Blinken, the No 2 US diplomat, told Vice-President Li Yuanchao on Wednesday that his Asian trip reflected the importance that Obama and other US officials attach to the relationship with China.

Niu Jun, a professor at the School of International Studies at Peking University, said Xi's upcoming visit, announced more than a half year beforehand, underlines both countries' willingness to further stabilize ties.

The trip will mark Xi's third visit to the US in the last three and a half years, during which time both countries worked together on a range of fronts. But they also clashed on issues including cyberespionage allegations, maritime rows in the South and East China seas, and most recently, the Dalai Lama.

During the phone call, Xi urged respect for each country's core interests and major concerns, and called for keeping China-US ties protected from unfavorable interference.

The US is willing to strengthen cooperation and control differences with China, Obama said.

Jin Canrong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, said China would promote the building of a new type of major country relationship, a concept high on Xi's diplomatic agenda.

"It is not easy for an established power and an emerging power to get along with each other, and mutual trust is still insufficient, but both Beijing and Washington are clear that it would be devastating if they fell into conflict," he said.

Observers said the two countries could attain a breakthrough in less-sensitive areas, including addressing global challenges and their already strong economic cooperation.

During Obama's visit to China in November, they reached a long list of agreements, including commitment to cap greenhouse gas emissions and extension of visas.

(China Daily USA 02/12/2015 page1)