Xi's US visit to build partnership
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E-mail Xinhua, February 10, 2012
Vice President Xi Jinping's upcoming trip to the United States is aimed at building a cooperative partnership between the two nations, an official said on Thursday.
At the invitation of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Xi Jinping is scheduled to pay official visits to the United States, Ireland and Turkey from Feb. 13 to 22.
Xi will make the U.S. visit to implement the consensus reached by the heads of state to establish a partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit, China's Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said at a news briefing on the Vice President's visit.
At the beginning of last year, Chinese President Hu Jintao paid a state visit to the United States, where Hu and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to establish a partnership based on mutual respect and benefit, setting the tone for China-U.S. ties.
"Both China and the United States attach great importance to the visit by Xi," Cui said, adding that the two sides are making arrangements for the visit "in an orderly way."
"We believe that Vice President Xi's visit is sure to be a success," Cui added.
According to the vice foreign minister, Xi will meet with President Obama and hold talks with Vice President Biden during his tour. He will also meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
Xi will exchange views in an in-depth way with the U.S. leaders on the China-U.S. relationship as well as on international and regional issues of common interest, Cui said.
The Chinese Vice President will also meet with leaders of the U.S. Senate and Congress, several former American leaders and other people "extensively."
Besides Washington, Xi will also visit Los Angeles and the state of Iowa where he will gather with local politicians and attend a host of events on economic cooperation, and people-to-people and sub-national exchanges between the two nations.
"Vice President Xi's U.S. visit serves as an important high-level interaction between the two countries in 2012, and we hope that, with the visit, the China-U.S. relationship will be pushed forward along the path oriented by the two heads of state in this important year and even a longer period," said the Chinese diplomat.
Cui said Xi visited Iowa in 1985, where he will reunite with some old friends during next week's visit.
"It has been 27 years since Vice President Xi made his first visit to the United States," Cui said, adding that China and the United States have witnessed great progress in the bilateral relationship and the friendship between the two peoples over the past years.
"I think the (Iowa) stop will be very meaningful," he added.
The Chinese side always attaches importance to sub-national and people-to-people exchanges on various levels with the United States, said the Vice Foreign Minister.
"Ultimately, the development of the bilateral ties is determined by that of the relationship between the two peoples," he added.
