Obama Receives Chinese Xi with ‘Ni Hao’
Local Editor
US President Barack Obama offered Xi Jinping a warm welcome at the White House Thursday, greeting his Chinese counterpart with a "ni hao," or hello, at the start of a tricky state visit.
The pair kicked off Xi's first state visit by shedding their ties and strolling out of the West Wing and across Pennsylvania Avenue to Blair House.
Officials hope that by starting with a casual meeting the leaders of the world's two pre-eminent military and economic powers will find time for a less staid exchange of views.
"Far and away, the most constructive engagements they've had have been in their private dinners," said senior Obama national security aide Ben Rhodes.
Thursday's informal dinner is an opportunity, Rhodes said, to "put aside the talking points and actually get a window into one another's world view."
"And those world views are very different. And that's part of why I think the conversations are useful and important, because it provides a context for all these issues."
Xi -- who kicked off his US visit in Seattle, meeting with top corporate CEOs - is seen in Washington as one of the strongest Chinese leaders in decades, consolidating political, military and government power at a speed not seen since Deng Xiaoping.
But his assertiveness has prompted serious maritime, economic and cybersecurity disputes that US officials say risk throwing a complex and delicately balanced relationship out of kilter.
Obama and Xi will look to highlight cooperation to curb North Korea's nuclear program, efforts to tackle climate change and people-to-people ties.
An agreement is also expected to limit the risk of dangerous air-to-air military encounters.
On the eve of Xi's visit, US officials revealed that two Chinese fighter jets had passed dangerously close to an American spy plane in international airspace over the Yellow Sea.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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