Chinese President Hu Jintao offered warm smiles and handshakes to U.S. presidential advisers Larry Summer and Thomas Donilon on Wednesday September 8. China and the United States made a high profile effort to stabilize their often rocky relationship
China holds a positive outlook for their discussions, said President Hu, telling U.S. National Economic Council Director Summers and Deputy National Security Adviser Donilon that Bejing is seeking fresh progress in China-U.S. relations. And he added the Chinese are willing to work together with the United States in promoting what the President Hu described as the advancement of healthy and stable China-U.S. relations.
His meeting with Summers and Donilon, which came at the end of three days of talks for the U.S. officials, is a sign of the importance China places on the relationship. Normally Mr. Hu reserves his meetings for more senior national leaders.
The two thorniest topics for the two sides are trade and security. Summers and Donilon met with Chinese finance and defense officials this week.
United States also has been concerned with China's military expansion and its reluctance to back tougher sanctions against Iran and North Korea. Beijing has been angered by U.S. military drills with South Korea near China's coastal waters, and by U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan. (Source: Voice of America, Sep 8, 2010).