|
 U.S. officials said the commitments by the world's two biggest
carbon polluters came after months of backroom negotiations and
would set the tone for a global climate control pact, but experts
said the limits did not break significant new ground.
The two largest economies in the world have strong commercial ties
but have been at odds over everything from China's pursuit of
territorial claims in East and Southeast Asia to cyberspying, trade
and human rights.
Obama, meeting Xi in Beijing's Great Hall of the People for their
first formal talks in more than a year after a dinner the previous
night that went two hours longer than scheduled, said he welcomes a
China that is peaceful, prosperous and stable.
"In other words, a strong, cooperative relationship with China is at
the heart of our pivot to Asia," Obama said, shrugging off criticism
that the United States sought to counter China's rise in the region.
"If the United States is going to continue to lead the world in
addressing global challenges, then we have to have the second
largest economy and the most populous nation on Earth as our
partner," Obama said, adding that he was encouraged by Xi's
"willingness to engage constructively".
Xi called for expanding cooperation despite differences.
"The Pacific Ocean is broad enough to accommodate the development of
both China and the United States and our two countries should work
together to contribute to security in Asia," he said.
"The two sides should respect the other's core interests and major
concerns, and persist in managing differences in a constructive
fashion."
Despite U.S. officials projecting low expectations for any major
outcomes in the run-up to the trip, the two sides managed to roll
out a series of modest to fairly significant achievements over the
course of the visit, on visas, trade, climate and
military-to-military ties.
The outcomes of the visit were "more than expected", with Xi keen to
use the opportunity to show he wants improved ties despite Obama
being on his way out in two years, said Sun Zhe, head of the Center
for U.S.-China Relations at Beijing's elite Tsinghua University.
"The bilateral relationship is mature enough that we understand even
if we don't have political trust for another five to 10 years, we
need to live and work together. That's a new way of thinking by
Chinese leaders," Sun said.
In another centerpiece of the visit, the White House announced on
Tuesday that the two countries made a breakthrough on eliminating
duties on information technology products, a move cheered by U.S.
software and technology trade groups that could pave the way for a
major deal at the World Trade Organization. DOWNPLAYED TRADE ROWS
Xi downplayed controversy over competing visions for free trade in
the Asia-Pacific which had been an undercurrent at the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum earlier in the week.
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Washington is working on a 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP) deal which excludes China and is widely seen as the economic
backbone of Obama's pivot.
But Beijing had used APEC to push forward a study on the Free Trade
Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), a framework which some had seen as
a counter to the TPP.
"I don't see any of the regional free trade agreements as targeting
China. China is committed to open regionalism and we believe the
various regional cooperation initiatives should positively interact
with each other. That is currently the case," Xi said.
Despite the bonhomie displayed by both leaders during their public
interactions, especially at the APEC summit, sticking points in
relations were also on display, from protests in Hong Kong to media
freedom.
At their last major talks in California in the summer of 2013, the
two countries agreed to few tangibles aside from a pledge to work
together to try to resolve disputes over cyber security, an area
where relations subsequently worsened.
In May, the United States charged five Chinese military officers
with hacking into American companies to steal trade secrets. China
showed its anger over the allegations by shutting down a bilateral
working group on cyber security.
Washington had flagged the cyber issue ahead of the meeting as a key
area of concern, but Obama made no mention of it in his public
comments. The South China Sea territorial dispute between China and
Southeast Asian nations was also only briefly referred to by Obama.
Still, Obama and Xi sparred over Hong Kong, which has been rocked by
sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in recent weeks.
Obama told Xi that the United States would encourage elections in
the Chinese territory that are free and fair and reflect the will of
people, drawing a riposte from Xi that what happens in Hong Kong is
an internal matter for China.
(Additional reporting by David Stanway and Sui-Lee Wee; Writing by
Ben Blanchard; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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