If you’ve been listening to the radio, watching television, or reading newspapers this week, you’ve probably come across a lot of coverage about the Pope’s travels in the United States. But you may have heard a lot less about the President of China—who arrived the same day. HPR’s Bill Dorman fills you in on some details in today’s Asia Minute.
Xi Jinping’s first big event in America was a policy speech, which got a lot of coverage...in Asia.
Xi ruled out a short-term currency devaluation saying, “there is no basis for continuous depreciation.”
Knowing cyber security will be high on President Obama’s agenda, Xi offered to “set up a high-level joint dialogue mechanism with the United States on fighting cyber-crimes.” That made a headline for Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post: “From Yuan Devaluation to Cybersecurity: Smiling Xi Jinping Tackles Key Strains in Sino-US Ties.”
Not everyone was so positive.
The headline for Singapore’s Straits Times: “Xi Urges Less ‘Suspicion’ in US-China Ties.”
The Korea Herald noted “Undercurrent of Tension on China State Dinner Menu.”
The menu for the first event came under inspection.
From wasabi potatoes to edamame relish and daikon in the salad, some noted ingredients and terminology carried a Japanese flavor that may have been politically incorrect for Chinese government guests.
Photo ops and other events from Boeing to Microsoft followed on Wednesday.
You can expect more media coverage starting later on Thursday, when Xi makes his way to the other Washington and to that state dinner on Friday.
