President Xi iInping's upcoming state visit to the U.S. will be his first official visit to the state as president of China. (Photo : REUTERS)
In preparation for President Xi Jinping’s first state visit to the United States of America, a new round of high-level talks between China and the U.S. are scheduled to figure out how to make the state visit a success.
"This session, like last year's, will explore opportunities that can be brought to fruition during the upcoming meetings of the two presidents, this time in September in Washington," shared Douglas Paal, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Vice President for Studies.
In preparation for U.S. President Barack Obama's state visit to China last November, discourses between the two powers--namely, the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and High-level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) held last July in Beijing--were organized. Chinese officials hope that the new round of talks will also help pave the way for President Xi's visit to North America.
This year's CPE, said to be the sixth round, will be co-hosted by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry just like in 2014.
The seventh round of S&ED, on the other hand, will be co-chaired by representatives of President Xi and President Obama. Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi will speak in behalf of the Chinese leader, while Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew will represent President Obama.
"I think both Washington and Beijing officials are focused on making their leaders' summit a success, and are sanding down the rough edges of both rhetoric and behavior," Paal said.
This is in light of the strained Chinese-American bilateral ties, an effect of tension due to China's land reclamation in the South China Sea. Straining the diplomatic relations further is the allegation that China hacked U.S. federal computer networks. Despite this, officials are optimistic that the two-day talks will help lighten the situation come President Xi's state visit in fall.
According to Paal, "these forums provide focal points to address issues that do not get resolved in the normal course of business, in part by assembling local and national level authorities around a common table."
