casper
11-18-2009, 08:40 AM
Obama meets Wen as China visit winds down
By Caren Bohan and Patricia Zengerle
BEIJING - U.S. President Barack Obama continued courting China in talks with Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday, opening an opportunity to press him on the economic and currency strains that have shadowed his goodwill visit.
Obama's first trip to China has been a mix of goodwill displays toward its sometimes wary people and leaders and closed-door discussions focused on the two big powers' vast and increasingly complex relationship.
Wednesday was no different. Obama held talks with Wen and was then scheduled to visit the Great Wall, for Chinese people a proud symbol of their imperial heritage. He is then scheduled to leave for South Korea.
The meeting with Wen, the head of the Chinese government, gave Obama a chance to raise touchy economic and diplomatic issues behind closed doors. But in their opening remarks before reporters, at least, both leaders stuck to upbeat phrases.
"Mutual trust will help us move forward, while misgivings will take us back," said Wen.
Obama already made plain in a summit with President Hu Jintao on Tuesday that he wants movement on China's currency policy. Many in Washington believe Beijing keeps the yuan too low in value, putting competitors at a disadvantage and distorting global economic flows.
Hu, who is also the head of China's Communist Party, avoided mentioning the yuan or the dollar in his comments before reporters.
But Wen, who is more deeply involved in day-to-day economic affairs, may have been more willing to grapple with Obama on currency and China's own gripes with U.S. trade rules.
SETTING DIRECTION
Officials and experts from both sides have stressed, however, that Obama's visit will not bring about immediate policy shifts.
"There will still be setbacks and even conflicts between China and the United States," said a commentary in the overseas edition of China's official People's Daily.
"It will take the constant efforts of one or two generations, perhaps several, to bring stable progress to relations."
Such summits are about setting priorities for future dealings, not making immediate policy changes, said Jin Canrong, an expert on China-U.S. ties at Renmin University in Beijing.
The issue of currencies has drawn testy comments from U.S. and Chinese officials. China's Commerce Ministry on Monday rebuffed calls for the yuan to appreciate, signaling resistance to change foreign exchange policy.
Outside pressure has been building on Beijing to let the yuan rise after more than a year of it being nearly frozen in place against the dollar, with the latest appeal voiced by the head of the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday.
By Caren Bohan and Patricia Zengerle
BEIJING - U.S. President Barack Obama continued courting China in talks with Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday, opening an opportunity to press him on the economic and currency strains that have shadowed his goodwill visit.
Obama's first trip to China has been a mix of goodwill displays toward its sometimes wary people and leaders and closed-door discussions focused on the two big powers' vast and increasingly complex relationship.
Wednesday was no different. Obama held talks with Wen and was then scheduled to visit the Great Wall, for Chinese people a proud symbol of their imperial heritage. He is then scheduled to leave for South Korea.
The meeting with Wen, the head of the Chinese government, gave Obama a chance to raise touchy economic and diplomatic issues behind closed doors. But in their opening remarks before reporters, at least, both leaders stuck to upbeat phrases.
"Mutual trust will help us move forward, while misgivings will take us back," said Wen.
Obama already made plain in a summit with President Hu Jintao on Tuesday that he wants movement on China's currency policy. Many in Washington believe Beijing keeps the yuan too low in value, putting competitors at a disadvantage and distorting global economic flows.
Hu, who is also the head of China's Communist Party, avoided mentioning the yuan or the dollar in his comments before reporters.
But Wen, who is more deeply involved in day-to-day economic affairs, may have been more willing to grapple with Obama on currency and China's own gripes with U.S. trade rules.
SETTING DIRECTION
Officials and experts from both sides have stressed, however, that Obama's visit will not bring about immediate policy shifts.
"There will still be setbacks and even conflicts between China and the United States," said a commentary in the overseas edition of China's official People's Daily.
"It will take the constant efforts of one or two generations, perhaps several, to bring stable progress to relations."
Such summits are about setting priorities for future dealings, not making immediate policy changes, said Jin Canrong, an expert on China-U.S. ties at Renmin University in Beijing.
The issue of currencies has drawn testy comments from U.S. and Chinese officials. China's Commerce Ministry on Monday rebuffed calls for the yuan to appreciate, signaling resistance to change foreign exchange policy.
Outside pressure has been building on Beijing to let the yuan rise after more than a year of it being nearly frozen in place against the dollar, with the latest appeal voiced by the head of the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday.