Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) on Friday promised to help create needed jobs in the US as he basked in a warm welcome in Chicago at the end of an often contentious state visit.
A day after heated discussions with lawmakers in Washington, Hu tried to show a more human side of the rising Asian power as he visited the third-largest US city, where he met business leaders, students and local dignitaries.
At a suburban warehouse, Hu toured an exhibition showcasing 10 Chinese companies that operate in the Midwestern metropolis, which he said “have injected fresh momentum into the American economy and created jobs here.”
Photo: EPA
“The Chinese government will continue to encourage our companies to do business and make investments here. We hope the American government will help provide a welcome environment for Chinese businesses,” Hu said through an interpreter.
Hu afterward closed the long-awaited state visit, flying out of snowy O’Hare International Airport with US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman seeing him off.
China has faced intense pressure from the US and other major economies over its economic policies, with Beijing a favorite target of candidates during last year’s congressional election.
Many US lawmakers accuse China of artificially keeping its currency low so it can flood the world with cheap exports. Hu, in a speech in Washington, hit back by saying that US consumers have saved US$600 billion in the past decade thanks to “quality yet inexpensive Chinese products.”
US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, addressing a trade forum in Chicago on the sidelines of Hu’s visit, said US businesses operating in China worry about the theft of intellectual property, closed decision-making and preferences toward domestic companies.
“In my travels across the country, I continue to hear stories of exasperation from American business leaders concerned about the commercial environment in China,” Locke said.
Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming (陳德銘) replied by calling for a boost in US exports to narrow the trade deficit.
“Our two countries need to sit down and work it out so there won’t be such a huge trade deficit and trade surplus,” he told the conference.
At the start of Hu’s visit, US President Barack Obama’s administration said that China had agreed to contracts that would support 235,000 US jobs, including a US$19 billion deal to buy 200 planes from Chicago-based Boeing Co.
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley escorted Hu throughout his tour of the city, the adopted hometown of Obama and headquarters of about 300 companies that do business in China, including Boeing, telecoms giant Motorola and iconic chewing gum maker Wrigley.
“Our long-range goal is to make Chicago the most ‘China-friendly’ city in the United States,” Daley said.
Hu started the final day of his state visit at a Chicago school that teaches Chinese language and culture. He beamed as a student presented him with a bouquet of orchids.
Chicago teenagers learning Chinese waved flags and shouted Huanying, or “Welcome,” as he arrived. Students donned traditional garb as they performed Chinese handkerchief and kung fu fan dances.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was