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    February 12, 2012

China's VP Set to Begin US Visit

   VOA News
   Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and US counterpart Joe Biden [no
   shown] attend a meeting with US and Chinese business leaders at the
   Beijing Hotel in Beijing, China, August 19, 2011.
   Photo: AP
   Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and US counterpart Joe Biden [no
   shown] attend a meeting with US and Chinese business leaders at the
   Beijing Hotel in Beijing, China, August 19, 2011.

   China's Vice President Xi Jinping begins a four-day visit to the United
   States Monday amid major challenges in relations between the two
   countries.
   White House officials say the visit by the man expected to become
   China's Communist Party chief later this year and the country's
   president in 2013 will cover a wide range of political, economic,
   security and human rights issues.
   On Tuesday, Xi Jinping will begin a day of meetings, including two
   hours of discussions with his formal host, U.S. Vice President Joe
   Biden and an Oval Office talk with President Barack Obama.
   After lunch at the State Department hosted by Vice President Biden and
   Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Xi is scheduled to visit with
   military officials at the Pentagon and then hold talks with American
   and Chinese business leaders.
   China is concerned about the U.S. enhancing its military presence in
   the Asia-Pacific region, which is widely seen as a counterweight to
   growing Chinese assertiveness in the area.
   Since Xi is not yet China's head of state, the visit will not likely
   produce any major breakthroughs in key areas in the relationship,
   although some business agreements are expected to be announced.
   On Wednesday, Xi is due to travel to the midwestern state of Iowa and
   then to California before returning to China.

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