Xi Jinping Offers an Opening
Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) arrives for a meeting with five United States state governors to discuss clean technology and economic development September 22, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. (Pool/Getty)
On September 23, Asia Society will host a conversation between Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia and president of the Asia Society Policy Institute, and distinguished guests about the prospects of the Chinese economy in the wake of the Xi-Obama summit. Learn more
President Xi Jinping kicked off his visit to the United States on Tuesday with a spirited speech in Seattle delivered to an audience of politicians, statesmen, and business executives from both countries. The speech, hosted by the National Council on U.S.-China Relations and co-sponsored by Asia Society, focused primarily on economic affairs, as Xi sought to reassure listeners that China's volatile stock market did not threaten global economic health. Referring to one of the most contentious issues characterizing the Sino-American relationship, the Chinese president called his country a “staunch defender of cyber security" and asserted that the Chinese government would “not, in whatever form, engage in commercial thefts or encourage or support such attempts by anyone.”
Xi’s speech — which concluded with references to American Founding Fathers and authors such as Ernest Hemingway — was warmly received. N. Bruce Pickering, vice president of global programs at Asia Society, said that Xi struck "a conciliatory note" and that throughout the discussion he "seemed both relaxed and — dare I say it — avuncular." Henrietta H. Fore, a co-chair of Asia Society, said it was a "very strong speech" and that while Xi adopted a tough stance on issues, he also "offered openings on many fronts."
However, Xi stopped short of making concessions. In a post-speech conversation published by ChinaFile, Graham Webster wrote that despite the spirit of conviviality, Xi's remarks on cyber security leave little room for compromise with Washington:
When Xi says he is ready to set up a high-level mechanism with the United States on "fighting cyber crimes," U.S. listeners will note what happened to the last Cyber Working Group, suspended by the Chinese side after U.S. indictments of alleged PLA hackers. When he says “the Chinese government will not in any form engage in commercial theft” or encourage others to do so, and that such crimes “must be punished in accordance with law or relevant international treaties,” those hoping for a meeting of minds on computer-assisted commercial theft will see the renewed denials here and in Xi’s written Wall Street Journal interview as reason to expect minimal or no progress on that issue.
Orville Schell, the Arthur Ross director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at Asia Society, added that Xi "had done his homework about those issues that have been making so much disturbance in the field of American attitudes toward China." He reiterated these remarks on an appearance on CNBC's Squawk Box on Tuesday night: